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Indiana County
Blackford County, Indiana
Hartford City and Indiana's natural gas boom heritage - from Hartford City's history as a center of Indiana's late 19th-century natural gas boom (Blackford County sat atop the Trenton Gas Field, and the discovery of natural gas in the 1880s triggered a brief but explosive industrial boom that brought glass factories and manufacturers to Hartford City before the gas was exhausted by the early 1900s) to the county's compact agricultural landscape (one of Indiana's smallest counties by area, Blackford County's flat terrain now supports productive corn and soybean farming across the east-central Indiana landscape).
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Office: Blackford County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via blackfordcounty.com.
Sheriff: Blackford County Sheriff’s Department – (765) 348-0930 ext. 1.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: IN-3 and IN-26 serve Hartford City, the county seat, in east-central Indiana.
Notes: Blackford County was created in 1838 by splitting off the western section of Jay County, named for Judge Isaac Blackford, one of Indiana’s pioneer judges. The first commissioners’ meeting was held in the log cabin of Andrew Boggs, and the first ballot box was reportedly his coffee pot. Hartford (later Hartford City) became county seat after some controversy and a civil suit.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Blackford County Courthouse – Hartford City, IN (built 1893-1895, part of the Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places).
Notes: Blackford County experienced one of Indiana’s most dramatic boom-and-bust industrial episodes: the Indiana Gas Boom. Natural gas was struck near Trenton in 1886, and the Hartford City Gas & Oil Company drilled the area’s first successful well in 1887, transforming Hartford City almost overnight from a village of roughly 2,000 into a factory town of 8,000. By 1901, 21 manufacturing facilities employed 1,346 people, up from just 171 in 1880 – dominated by glass factories drawn by promises of free natural gas, free land, and cash subsidies. During the 1890s, the Hartford City Glass Company was the nation’s third-largest window glass producer, while Sneath Glass Company was the country’s largest maker of lantern globes. The 23-year boom left behind much of Hartford City’s finest architecture, including the current courthouse, the Carnegie Library, and the historic Presbyterian Church, before gas supplies were exhausted in the early 1900s. The Old Blackford County Jail (built 1877-1879), now privately restored, has its own notable footnote: bank robber John Dillinger reportedly staked it out while planning a nearby robbery, though he was never held there as a prisoner.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Blackford County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via blackfordcounty.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Hartford City/Blackford County Public Library (Hartford City) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system. Montpelier Carnegie Library (Montpelier, built 1908) – National Register of Historic Places.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District, the Old Blackford County Jail, and the Blackford County Historical Society are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, dramatic story of the Indiana Gas Boom – which briefly made Hartford City a national glass-manufacturing center – is among the standout local industrial histories covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Blackford County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via blackfordcounty.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Blackford County Animal Shelter, Inc. – 2520 N. 200 E, Hartford City, IN 47348 | (765) 348-5284 | blackfordcountyanimalshelter.com. Nonprofit since 1988; provides animal control for Blackford County, Hartford City, and Shamrock Lakes. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-1 PM, 4-7 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Blackford County Soil and Water Conservation District – 121 N. High Street, Hartford City, IN 47348 | (765) 348-1404.
NOTES: Blackford County is the fifth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, dramatic story of the Indiana Gas Boom is among the standout local industrial histories covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Blackford County
Blackford County is east-central Indiana’s natural gas heritage and agricultural county – the brief but transformative natural gas boom of the 1880s left its mark on Hartford City’s architecture and industrial identity before the fields ran dry, and today the county sustains a quiet agricultural economy across one of Indiana’s most compact geographic footprints.
Hartford City (the county seat, population ~5,500) is Blackford County’s governmental and commercial hub, a small city that retains traces of its gas boom-era prosperity while serving the surrounding farm communities.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Blackford County Assessor at 110 W. Washington Street, Hartford City, IN 47348, phone 765-348-1620. IN assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Blackford County Circuit Court at 110 W. Washington Street, Hartford City, IN 47348, phone 765-348-1970, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
110 W. Washington St., Hartford City, IN 47348
(765) 348-0070
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 W. Washington St., Hartford City, IN 47348
(765) 348-0070
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Blackford County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Blackford County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Blackford County Circuit Court 110 West Washington Street, Hartford City, IN 47348 (765) 348-2901 Blackford County is Indiana’s 2nd-smallest county by area, in east-central Indiana.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the Blackford County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Blackford County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
110 W. Washington St., Hartford City, IN 47348
(765) 348-2323
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
110 W. Washington St., Hartford City, IN 47348
(765) 348-0070
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Blackford County Health Dept
(765) 348-4150
IN FSSA — Northeast Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
Blackford Community Hospital
blackfordhospital.com (Hartford City)
IU Health Ball Memorial (Muncie)
iuhealth.org/ball-memorial
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Blackford County Health Department – confirm current contact via blackfordcounty.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hartford City
Population: 11,500
Area: 165 sq mi (one of Indiana's smallest counties by area)
Established: 1838
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Blackford County residents.
