The Pierceton Historic District encompasses the central business district of a small community in east central Kosciusko County, Indiana. It is next to the former Pennsylvania Railroad line. The design, setting, materials, workmanship and association between buildings give a sense of the history and architecture of a small town main street.The development of most towns in the county is linked to the growth of the railroads. Pierceton was first platted by Lewis Keith and John B. Chapman in 1852 at the proposed location of the new Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad right-of-way, 1.5 metres (0.0015 km) west of modern Pierceton. The town was re-charted in 1853 once the final railroad location was established. Pierceton was named President Franklin Pierce. It soon followed by Etna Green in 1853 and Atwood in 1857.The Pierceton Historic District is a collection of brick, one- and two-story buildings that stretch along both sides of First Street from the railroad tracks, one and one half blocks south to Catholic Street. Freestanding buildings such as the old Depot and the Carnegie Library, are found at the north and south ends of the district. However, the majority of the buildings form a consistent façade along the one hundred block of North First Street. The street grid has a regular north–south pattern with the exception of East Market Street. An 1895 fire left the west side of North First Street south of Market leveled, therefore those buildings all date from after that time.
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