Country United States County Warren Founded 1902 | State Indiana Township Jordan Founded by Frank R. Pence | |
 | ||
Pence is a small unincorporated community in Jordan Township, Warren County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Contents
History
Pence was founded in September 1902 by Frank R. Pence, who purchased 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land for the purpose. In 1903, Pence became the smallest town in the United States to have a central water system. In the early part of the 20th century, Pence had numerous businesses including a grain elevator, a blacksmith shop, a welding and machine shop, a lumber yard, a coal yard, the Bank of Pence (which closed in the 1920s), a hotel (which also housed the post office for a time), restaurants, a general store, grocery stores, a hardware store, a weekly newspaper, a funeral home, a jewelry store, and various others. As of 1913, the population was about 150.
Pence had a baseball team from 1910 to 1955, and also had a basketball team (the Pence Aces).
The post office operated from October 12, 1903 to April 5, 1957.
Geography
Pence is located less than a mile east of the Indiana-Illinois state line and a quarter mile from Jordan Creek, which flows southwest toward the Vermilion River. It is on County Road 300 North, which (in Illinois) runs into the town of Rossville about 9 miles to the west.