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Indiana County
Grant County, Indiana
Marion's James Dean birthplace and the Indiana natural gas boom - from James Dean's Marion connection (the actor who defined cool for a generation - James Dean was born in Marion on February 8, 1931 and spent his early childhood in Grant County before moving to California - the James Dean Gallery in Fairmount and the annual James Dean Festival celebrate the rebel icon's Indiana roots) to Grant County's Indiana Gas Boom heritage (the discovery of natural gas beneath north-central Indiana in the 1880s triggered one of America's most spectacular industrial booms - Marion grew rapidly as glass manufacturers, steel mills, and factories relocated to take advantage of free natural gas, creating a brief era of extraordinary prosperity before the gas was exhausted).
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Office: Grant County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via grantcounty.in.gov.
Sheriff: Grant County Sheriff’s Office – Marion, IN. Confirm current phone via grantcounty.in.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Oatess E. Archey, elected Grant County Sheriff in 1998 and re-elected in 2002, was the first Black sheriff in Indiana history.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-69 and SR-9 serve Marion, the county seat.
Notes: Grant County’s history includes both proud and difficult chapters that its own Sheriff’s Office has publicly documented, including a widely known and historically significant 1930 lynching in Marion – one of the most documented incidents of its kind in American history, an event the county’s sheriff’s office has openly acknowledged as a stain on its record.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Grant County Courthouse – Marion, IN.
Notes: Marion is the genuine birthplace of Hollywood icon James Dean, born February 8, 1931; a historical marker at 4th and McClure Street marks his birth site, and the family soon moved to nearby Fairmount, also in Grant County, where Dean grew up and is buried in Park Cemetery. The James Dean Landmarks Trail connects sites across both towns, including the Fairmount Historical Museum and James Dean Gallery. Marion is also home to three of twelve statues on the Grant County Garfield Trail, honoring Fairmount native Jim Davis, creator of the Garfield comic strip. Indiana Wesleyan University, the largest private university in the state, is based in Marion. The county hosts Mississinewa 1812, the nation’s largest War of 1812 reenactment, and the Cardinal Greenway, a 62-mile rail trail passing through Marion and surrounding towns.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Grant County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via grantcounty.in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Marion Public Library (Marion) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The James Dean Landmarks Trail, the Grant County Garfield Trail, the Gardens of Matter Park, the Cardinal Greenway, and the annual Mississinewa 1812 reenactment are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine cultural legacy of both James Dean and Garfield creator Jim Davis, both natives of Grant County, is among the most distinctive local cultural facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Grant County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via grantcounty.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via grantcounty.in.gov; Grant County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Grant County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via grantcounty.in.gov.
NOTES: Grant County is the twenty-eighth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine cultural legacy of both James Dean and Garfield creator Jim Davis is among the most distinctive local cultural facts covered anywhere in this project; the county’s own sheriff’s office has also openly documented a difficult historical chapter from 1930, treated here factually and without embellishment. 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 Grant County
Grant County is north-central Indiana’s James Dean birthplace and natural gas boom county – the rebel without a cause was born in Marion, and the 1880s natural gas boom that briefly made north-central Indiana one of America’s most industrially active regions left a legacy of manufacturing heritage.
Marion (the county seat, population ~26,000) navigates post-industrial challenges while celebrating its James Dean connection. Fairmount (population ~2,800) is where Dean is buried.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Grant County Assessor at 401 S. Adams Street, Suite 30, Marion, IN 46953, phone 765-668-6552. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
Grant County Circuit Court at 101 E. 4th Street, Marion, IN 46952, phone 765-668-8121, 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)
101 E. 9th St., Marion, IN 46952
(765) 668-8121
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
101 E. 9th St., Marion, IN 46952
(765) 668-8121
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Grant County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The James Dean gravesite and Fairmount Historical Museum in nearby Fairmount are notable regional cultural landmarks.
Local societies
No dedicated Grant 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
Grant County Circuit Court 101 East 4th Street, Marion, IN 46952 (765) 664-5527 / (765) 668-8121
Grant County’s seat, Marion, was the boyhood home of actor James Dean, whose gravesite in nearby Fairmount draws visitors from around the world.
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 Grant 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 Grant 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
215 E. 4th St., Marion, IN 46952
(765) 662-9981
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
101 E. 9th St., Marion, IN 46952
(765) 668-8121
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Grant County Health Dept
(765) 668-8871
IN FSSA — East Central Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
IU Health Ball Memorial (Muncie)
iuhealth.org/ball-memorial
Marion General Hospital
mgh.net (Marion — Franciscan Health system)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Grant County Health Department – confirm current contact via grantcounty.in.gov.
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