Goodland Town Hall is located at 110 North Benton Street, Goodland, IN 47948.
Phone: 219-297-4841.
Goodland [†] is situated near the southeastern corner of Newton County. Originally part of Jasper County, Newton was the last of Indiana's counties to be established. It was organized December 9, 1859. By the time Grant Township was set off from Iroquois Township in 1865, Goodland had already been born.
Originally known as Tivoli, the town was little more than a flag stop on the Toledo, Logansport, and Burlington railroad. Founded by the brothers William and Timothy Foster, Goodland was surveyed and platted by a Captain Gonzalez in 1861, the same year the railroad went through. The original plat consisted of 47 lots and five streets, of which Jasper was one. By 1868, there were ten homes in addition to a combination store/warehouse, a blacksmith, and a school. That same year brought the arrival of Abner Strawn from Ottawa, Illinois and signalled the start of a growth period for the community. A land speculator, he brought several families with him to forge new lives. Soon afterward, grain farming became the main industry and created a lively market in the small town. Growth was such that Goodland was incorporated in 1874. In 1883, the Indiana Coal railroad came through town and fostered more growth. At the turn of the century, a theatre and three grain elevators were present. By 1911, Goodland also boasted six churches, three restaurants, two bakeries, three groceries, two drugstores, two saloons, two barbers, and a new brick school.
† Velma Jean (Barten) Dart with technical assistance by Stephen N. Mundell, McCairn-Turner House, nomination document, 1994, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C., accessed May, 2023.