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Hartsdale, Indiana

Hartsdale, Indiana
Village
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 41°30′28″N 87°28′17″W / 41.50778°N 87.47139°W / 41.50778; -87.47139Coordinates: 41°30′28″N 87°28′17″W / 41.50778°N 87.47139°W / 41.50778; -87.47139
Country United States
State Indiana
County Lake
Township St. John
Founded 1880
Annexed by the Town of Schererville 1911
Founded by Aaron Hart
Named for Aaron Hart
Area
 • Total 0.5 sq mi (1.29 km2)
Elevation 627 ft (191 m)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
GNIS feature ID 0435838

Hartsdale was a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Hartsdale was annexed by Schererville, Indiana, in 1911.

Hartsdale takes its name from the Hart Farm. Aaron Hart was an early resident of the Schererville-Dyer area. He owned about 20,000 acres of land. Most of the land was useless marshland in the low areas between Lake Michigan's old Glenwood and Calumet Shorelines. Lake George was the name of the body of water on Hart's swamp land, and in 1880 Hart drained the marshy former lake bottom by constructing the Hart Ditch north to the Little Calumet River. He established the Village of Hartsdale one mile north of Schererville.

Two rail lines, the Joliet Cutoff and the Pan Handle passed through Hartsdale. Hartsdale was location to the "Hartsdale" railroad yard and interchange where these rail lines crossed.

In the late 1800s, the Hart farm employed forty employees who helped Hart grow grain, vegetables, raise dairy, beef cattle, and hay.

The founder and land owner Aaron Hart died in a ditch digging accident on January 12, 1883. The town of Hartsdale never grew. By 1900 its neighbor Schererville had its church, two stores, a large brick school, and a population of about 250. Schererville, Indiana, including Hartsdale, was incorporated as a town in 1911, the same year as nearby St. John, Indiana.

Today Route 41 passes right through the middle of the former Village of Hartsdale with a bridge above the Hartsdale rail yard and interchange. The railway interchange is still called "Hartsdale" by the railway operators to reflect the name of the town the interchange was in when named.

Hart Farm Rd still exists on the west side of Route 41 about 1 block north of the Route 41 bridge in Schererville, Indiana.

The Joliet Cut-Off railway (Part of Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway) was built to bypass the congestion and delay of transferring freight via Chicago. It was leased to the Michigan Central Railroad and service was implemented in July 1855. It allowed businessmen to ship their products from Joliet, Illinois, to the east, avoiding Chicago.


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