Magnet, Indiana

Magnet is an unincorporated community along the Ohio River in Union Township, Perry County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[2]

Magnet, Indiana
Unincorporated community
Magnet Magnet
Coordinates: 38°05′48″N 86°27′48″W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Perry
Township	Union
Elevation [1]	499 ft (152 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	47520
Area code(s)	812, 930
GNIS feature ID	451192

History

When pioneers started to settle the banks of the Ohio River, one of the first in the Magnet area was Dodson, who operated a wood yard. The settlement was known as Dodson Landing. When Dodson left, Jesse Martin took over the wood yard operation; therefore the area was referred to as Martin Landing. In 1848 the residents had to decide on a name for the village. To honor Jesse Martin they chose the name Rono, the name of Martin's dog.[3] The settlement was known as Rono until 1899 when the United States Postal Department changed the name to Magnet.[4] The Magnet post office closed in 1992.[5]

The Civil War Memorial Grave historical marker near Magnet.

Civil War Memorial Grave

On August 21, 1865, the steamboat, U.S.S. Argosy (Number 3) was returning Union soldiers of the 70th Ohio Infantry home via the Ohio River. The steamer was forced aground by a storm. Her boilers exploded and caused ten fatalities. They were buried in a mass grave one half mile from Magnet (then called Rono). Ten grave makers were raised at the site.[6]

Local historian Bert Fenn discovered information that suggested one of the ten who was supposedly buried in the grave may have actually lived until arriving in Louisville, where he died. This could explain why one of the soldiers buried in the grave is an unknown soldier.

The Civil War Memorial Grave historical marker at the site erected by the Indiana Civil War Centennial Commission in 1965.

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
2. "Magnet, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
3. History of Warrick, Spencer, and Perry Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present. Goodspeeds. 1885. p. 682.
4. Hunt, Thomas James De la (1916). Perry County: A History. W.K. Stewart. p. 115.
5. "Perry County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
6. "Perry County Black Route Auto Tour". Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-07-27.