Freedom, Indiana

Freedom, Indiana
Unincorporated community
Freedom, Indiana
Coordinates: 39°12′25″N 86°52′9″W / 39.20694°N 86.86917°WCoordinates: 39°12′25″N 86°52′9″W / 39.20694°N 86.86917°W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Owen
Township	Franklin
Elevation	538 ft (164 m)
ZIP code	47431
GNIS feature ID	434803[1]

Freedom is an unincorporated community in western Franklin Township, Owen County, Indiana, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 231, southwest of the city of Spencer, the county seat of Owen County.^[2] Its elevation is 538 feet (164 m), and it is located at 39°12′25″N 86°52′9″W / 39.20694°N 86.86917°W (39.2069886, -86.8691740).^[3] Although Freedom is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 47431.^[4]

1927 silent film starring James Pierce as Tarzan with Boris Karloff as Owaza.

Sammy L. Davis playing harmonica 2000

History

Freedom was laid out in 1834, at which time it was an important shipping point of flatboats.^[5] The community's name is derived from Joseph Freeland, an early settler.^[6] A post office has been in operation at Freedom since 1834.^[7]

Notable people

• James Pierce - Freedom is the birthplace of one of the original Tarzan actors. Tarzan and the Golden Lion starred James Pierce, a native of Freedom, and an all-American football star at Indiana University. Though his role in this previously-lost film would be prove to be his largest on-screen, Pierce went on to play a permanent role in the Tarzan story off-camera. Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, who had himself cast Pierce in the film, thought well enough of his ideal ape-man to introduce him to his daughter, whom Pierce subsequently married. James and Joan Burroughs Pierce went on to play Tarzan and Jane in 364 radio programs in the early 1930s and remained married until her death. They are buried next to one another in Shelbyville, Indiana in graves reading “Tarzan and Jane".

• Sammy L. Davis - U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War, lives in Freedom.^[8] In early 2014, the State of Indiana honored Davis's great bravery and heroism by erecting two sets of highway memorial signs at the entrances of State Route 46 and U.S. Route 231 in Owen County, Indiana.^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "Freedom, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
2. DeLorme. Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. 3rd ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, p. 43, 49. ISBN 0-89933-319-2.
3. Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report, Geographic Names Information System, 1979-02-14. Accessed 2008-06-01.
4. Zip Code Lookup
5. Blanchard, Charles (1884). Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. F.A. Battey & Company. p. 761.
6. Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-253-32866-3. The name was formed from the name of the proprietor, Joseph Freeland...
7. "Owen County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
8. Vogt, R.J. (29 July 2014). "He Wears a Medal of Honor". Retrieved 5 February 2015.
9. Baird, J. & Heaton, B. (28 January 2014). "Medal of Honor recipient honored with House resolution" (Press release). Retrieved 5 February 2015.
10. staff (23 May 2014). "Signs Designate Owen County As Home Of Medal Of Honor Recipient Sammy Lee Davis". Spencer Evening World. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2015.