Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue History & Genealogy Culver, Marshall, Indiana

A Town and its Names



Culver's name has varied throughout the first years - on a plat map of 1843 it is found listed as Geneva. Then for a short time was known as Yellow River Post Office which was ran by Mr. Kennedy.

Tho found is the following account given in the Citizen on Sep 2, 1957

    Culver Post Office -
    The remote antecedent of the Culver Post office was located about six miles southwest of Plymouth and was known as "Onondaga", said to have been the second post office established in the county, Plymouth having been the first.

    The postmaster was Timothy Barber, who about that time erected at that place th first grist mill in the county. The pace is known as Sligo. The Post office was established ther about 1840 and continued to exist for bout four years.

    Tha mail route was Plymouth to Onondaga and return, leaving every Saturday at 4 o'clock and returning immediately. The mail carried was John Burch.

    About this time this post office was discontinued Benjamin F. Kendall, an agent of Eastern speculators, located on a famr near Burr Oak, where a post office was established known as the Yellow River post office, the mail being carried to it from Plymoutn and on to WInamac and return by a man by the name of Lenfesty. This office was discontinued about the yyear 1856 and was succeeded by Union Town post office, afterwards Marmont, now Culver, the name of the villages.


In 1844 it was plated and laid out by Bayless L. Dickson,who owned farm bordering Northwest side of Lake Maxinkuckee, officially filed, on June 8, a 26-acre plat for a village, -- and became Union Town or Uniontown for the township it was within.

At some point in time during this period it was also referred to as Birmingham - but no documentation for that name has been found to day - maybe an abstract will turn it up.

The name of the town was first Yellow River Post office for a short time about 1848 which was ran by Mr. Kennedy

A re-survey of the village was made on 24 April 1851 (but was not recorded until 1857) and its names was changed to Marmont, Dr. Gustuvus A. Durr was the instrumental party in this name change. Dr. G. A. Durr (1864), Dr. Durr was an intense admirer of the great Napoleon, and it was on his petition that the name of Uniontown was changed to Marmont, the name of one of Napoleon's marshalls. .

Description of Marmont in 1872


1895 - Jul 20 - There is a movement on foot to change the name of the post office at Marmont to "Culver City," in honor of the man who has done so much to advance the interests and growth, of Lake Maxinkuckee.. The Marmont Herald is favoring the change, and the Plymouth Democrat, which almost has a proprietary interest in the lake, seems favorable to tbe new; name. A petition is in circ ulation at Marmont, and is being numerously signed, requesting that the authorities change the-name - Logansport Pharos Tribune

When petition for change of name was forwarded to the Department the same was returned to the postmaster at Marmont with the follow Govering indorsement:
    Respectfully returned to the Post master at Marmont, Marshall Co., Ind., with the information that the Department cannot take into consideration the proposed change in the name of post office at Marmont to Culver City because the Department objects to double names. R. A. Maxwell, Fourth Asst. P.M. General


In 1896 it was proposed the name be changed to Culver City but the Post office Department in Washington D.C. declined the name as a village in Tippecanoe county Indiana existed under that name. Mr. Henry H. Culver negotiated with their town officials after finding out that it was named for Crane Culver . He offered to pay all expenses involved with the name change from Culver to Crane. He prevailed and Marmont became the town of Culver during a Specia Fall Term of court in 1895 It is recorded in the Miscellaneous Deed Book D pg. 497 In part it reads:
    Change of Name of the Town of Marmont, Indiana to Culver City, Indiana ...At a term of the Board of Commissioners of said county, begun of Wednesday the 23rd day of October 1895.. the following proceedings were had on the 24th day of October 1895 in the cause of...Comes now O. A. Rea and ninety-nine other qualified electors of the town of Marmont, Indiana and present their "verified" petition... And it is now ordered, considered and adjudge by the board that said town of Marmont, Indiana shall from and after this date be known as Culver City, Indiana....Received for record October 25th, 1895 at 9 1/2 o'clock A.M. Thomas H. Walker, Recorder Marshall County, Indiana.


1896 - Nov 2 - The town at Lake Maxiokucfcee is no longer called Marmont. th name having beeb changed this week both by the government and railroad company to Culver Ciity The change is in honor of H. H. Culver, the St'. Louis millionaire, who has done so much to build the lake resort. His latest-move was tbe erection of the Culver militaryacademy at a cost of $65,000.

1897 - Jan 23 - Name Has Been Changed. After mouths have passed, the post 0ffice department has finally acted upon the change of the name of Marmont, to Culver City. But notwithstanding the fact that it was the earnest desire of our citizens that it would be Culver City, it was changed to the name of “Culver ". Hence the Herald is printed in "Culver " this week instead of Culver City. The action of the postoffice department, we understand, will take effect about March 1st

1897 - Feb 6 8 Explanatory. As some misapprehension exists as to why the name of Marmont post office was not changed so as to correspond with the name adopted by the local authorities it may be well be to quote the reasons which made such change impossibee. Following is an order issued by the Department over two years ago:
    Ordered, No. 114.— To remote a cause of annoyance to the Department and injury to: the Postal Service in the selection of names for newly established post offices, it is hereby ordered, that from this date onlv short names or names of one word will be accepted. There may be exceptions when the name selected is historical, or has become local by long usage, bct the department RESERVES THE RIGHT IN SUCH CASES TO MAKE THE EXCEPTION OR NOT AS IT sees proper! Names of post offices will only be changed for reasons satisfactory to the Department. W. S. Bissell, Postmaster General.


One can find the name on maps and documents as: Town of Culver and Culver City but it was not until 1949 that it was officially and legally changed to just - Culver .