Topeka (Indiana, USA)
Topeka, Indiana, a town (1959 population, 550; 2000 population, 1,159) located in the northeastern part of the state in Lagrange County. It is situated in what is familiarly known as the Hawpatch, so called because of the many black and red haw bushes that grew among the virgin hardwood timber in the early years. It is located 18 miles southeast of Goshen and 45 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.
Topeka is a thriving trading center for the many Mennonites and Old Order Amish living in this community. The first Mennonites settled in this area in 1846. There are two Mennonite churches in the town: Maple Grove (Unaffiliated) and the Topeka Mennonite (General Conference Mennonite). The Emma Mennonite (Mennonite Church) Church is located 5 miles north of Topeka. There are about 500 Mennonites living in and around the town, about 20 per cent of whom live in the town. There are 15 Old Order Amish congregations in the neighborhood of Topeka. The area is a fertile farming community. One of the Mennonite Central Committee cutting centers for the Women's Missionary and Service Auxiliary is operating here.
| Author(s) | Edwin J Yoder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Yoder, Edwin J. "Topeka (Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Topeka_(Indiana,_USA)&oldid=170332.
APA style
Yoder, Edwin J. (1959). Topeka (Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Topeka_(Indiana,_USA)&oldid=170332.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 737-738. All rights reserved.
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