Bloomfield

Small Town Breakdown

Small Town Breakdown: Bloomfield, Indiana

From the world’s largest tire jack to a railroad viaduct you can’t miss, Bloomfield has both history and charm on its side.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Southern Indiana

• Bloomfield is located within Richland Township in the central portion of Greene County

• State Road 54 runs east through town, State Road 157 runs north and U.S. Route 231 heads south

• 1 hour and 25 minutes southwest of Indianapolis

• 40 minutes southwest of Bloomington

• 2 hours northwest of Louisville

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 2,302 residents (as of 2023)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 200th largest city

• Second-largest of seven incorporated towns/cities in Greene County behind Linton

📏 LAND AREA

• 1.41 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Greene County was formed in 1821 from a part of Sullivan County

• It was named for general Nathanael Greene, who was commander of the southern theater in the American Revolutionary War

• The first county seat was Burlington, but it was moved to Bloomfield in 1824

• Bloomfield’s name was suggested by Dr. Hallet B. Dean in honor of his hometown of Bloomfield in New York

• Bloomfield became incorporated in 1850

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing

• The Bloomfield Hi-Lift Jack Company was founded in 1905

• Metal Technologies is a supplier of precision machined parts and subassemblies for global manufacturers

Farmer Finds Land

Bloomfield wasn’t the original county seat of Greene County, but it took those honors from Burlington in 1824. So, how’d it happen? Peter Van Slyke was a farmer from New York who sought affordable land in Indiana. He found it and purchased 1,000 acres for $2 apiece, later donating 62 of those acres to Greene County officials when they wanted to select Bloomfield as the county seat.

Trestle and Jack

The Tulip Trestle is America’s Longest Railroad Trestle, standing 157 feet tall and over 2,300 feet in length. It is still used today by the Indiana Railroad Company.

Philip Harrah invented the Hi-Lift Jack, more commonly known as the Handyman Jack that has a 4,660-pound weight limit. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Bloomfield Hi-Lift Jack Company in 2005, the world’s largest tire jack made of cast iron sits in front of the business. It’s 20 feet tall and weighs 2,980 pounds.

Where We Eatin’?

Start your day with breakfast at Cross Roads Diner, where they’re serving up blueberry pancakes and country fried steak. Guests give ‘em 4.6 stars on Google.

Rejavanated has an elite name for a coffee shop, and it backs it up with the best coffee and caffeinated beverages in town.

Timeless Taste recently opened and is already making a name for itself with delicious pizza and sub sandwiches.

Bloomfield High School Girls Hoops

The Bloomfield High School girls basketball program has reached two state championship games in school history, winning the 1A title in 1998 after defeating Morgan Township 90-58 at Market Square Arena. It was a record-setting performance by the Cardinals, with their 90 points, 48-point second half, 32-point margin of victory and 27 assists still standing as 1A championship game records. Head coach Paula Fettig was just 26 years, 7 months and 20 days old at the time, making her the youngest head coach in IHSAA girls basketball history to win a state championship. 1998 was the first season in which girls basketball had multiple classes.

Another fun fact about the Cardinals’ girls squad? They also played in the very first IHSAA girls state championship game in 1976 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Out of 360 teams competing that postseason, Bloomfield took its 20-0 record into the title game against 21-0 Warsaw but came up short, 57-52.

Full Bloom

• The first courthouse in Bloomfield was built in 1824 and had one door with three glass windows. In the 1800s, most pioneers’ cabin doors and windows were covered by blankets or animal hides, so many people traveled for miles to see the courthouse with glass.

• Joe Shryer founded the Bloomfield Vitrified Brick and Tile Factory, and its bricks contributed to many buildings in the area from 1908 into the 1980s. Its bricks even stretched to structures in Indianapolis, including the former home of the Indianapolis Indians — Bush Stadium.

• The Shawnee Summer Theatre opened in 1960 and is Indiana’s longest, continuously running summer stock theatre. James and the Giant Peach JR and I and You are on the schedule this month, followed by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Addams Family in July.

Whether you like quirky attractions or history in the Hoosier State, Bloomfield will check every box when you visit.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Bloomfield ⬇️