The Gas Boom of East Central Indiana

Images of America: Indiana

by James A. Glass, David Kohrman

One of the most dramatic eras in Indiana history, the natural gas boom in the east central region transformed a mostly agricultural area into a major industrial center. The discovery of natural gas created major cities in the place of county seat towns, boomtowns where there had been villages, and factories towering over former farm land. The impact of the boom lived on even after gas itself failed. Through a collection of vintage images, authors James A. Glass and David G. Kohrman provide an overview of the boom era and its legacy in the four county seats of the gas belt: Muncie, Anderson, Kokomo, and Marion, as well as smaller communities such as Elwood, Fairmount, and Gas City.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2005

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book club member picked this book out from a list through The Novel Conversation program. It is mainly a picture book with minimal text. I learned about a part of Indiana history I knew nothing about. It was much different then my usual reading, I enjoyed it.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting photographic collection of a significant period in Indiana's history. I felt it could have been better organized with pictures showing the same buildings or streets on the same page or facing pages so the reader could really appreciate the changes.