Cross Roads, Delaware County, Indiana

Crossroads, one of Delaware County’s oldest settlements, was established in the 1830s at the intersection of what are now County Roads 600 West and 700 South. The hamlet developed as a natural meeting point along early dirt roads connecting local settlements, including the Yorktown Road and the Muncie and Middletown Road. By the late 19th century, Crossroads had several public and commercial establishments, including Salem Township School #10 (1891–1901), a blacksmith shop, and a post office (1879–1901). Various general stores operated in the community, with the Snodgrass family running a grocery and filling station in the 1940s, and the Shroyer family later opening the Richwood House Restaurant in a historic barn.{{cite news|last=Flook|first=Chris|title=Bygone Muncie: History of Crossroads includes pie, an oracle and a Tri-City Airport|newspaper=The Star Press|date=August 19, 2021|url=https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2021/08/19/bygone-muncie-crossroads-story-includes-pie-oracle-and-airport/8167855002/|access-date=February 3, 2025}}

The first store at Cross Roads opened in 1832.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lx4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA102 | title=A Twentieth Century History of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume 1 | publisher=Lewis Publishing Company | author=Kemper, William Harrison | year=1908 | pages=102}} The community was named for the fact two roads meet at the town site.{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Ronald L.|title=From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History|url=https://archive.org/details/fromneedmoretopr00bake|url-access=registration|date=October 1995|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-32866-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/fromneedmoretopr00bake/page/106 106]|quote=...the settlement's location at the crossing of two roads.}}

A post office was established at Cross Roads in 1879, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1901.{{cite web|url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=IN&county=Delaware |title=Delaware County |publisher=Jim Forte Postal History |accessdate=3 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904094934/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=IN&county=Delaware |archivedate=4 September 2014 }}

The Crossroads Lutheran Church, originally known as Richwoods Evangelical Lutheran Church, (built in 1868) remains the focal point of the community. Though it ceased hosting an active congregation in 1999, it continues to serve as a community center under the care of the Crossroads Lutheran Church Historical Preservation Society. The church is also the site of the annual Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social, a longstanding local tradition.

Crossroads was home to the parents of U.S. Congressman George W. Cromer, who moved into the area in the 1850s.{{cite news|title=Josiah Cromer Passes Away|newspaper=The Morning Star|date=June 4, 1901|publisher=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press-obituary-for-josiah-crome/164647443/|access-date=February 3, 2025}} The congressman himself was raised in the small community. briefly home to a notable figure, Taylor Frakes, a handyman and clairvoyant who gained local fame in the late 19th century for his fortune-telling abilities. His cabin burned down in 1902, after which he disappeared from historical records.

In the 1940s, Crossroads was considered as the site for the proposed Tri-City Airport, intended to serve Muncie, Anderson, and New Castle. Despite initial support, the project was ultimately abandoned due to funding challenges and local opposition. Today, Crossroads remains a small, rural hamlet known for its historic charm and tight-knit community.

{{Delaware County, Indiana}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Delaware County, Indiana

Category:Unincorporated communities in Indiana

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