East-Central Indiana is full of old gas wells. Over time, a few of them turned into artesian wells that flow with water. I’ve been to forty-seven of them, and know of even more in the Yorktown area! Unfortunately, one I’ve never seen might be in trouble: an enormous new apartment complex may threaten its existence.
About a year ago, a longtime Yorktown resident let me in on a secret: he recalled three flowing wells tucked along the White River within a mile or two of my house. I already knew about one, but the other two were brand-new to me. The first is said to bubble away in a treeline about two hundred yards west of the Beverly Heights addition1. Beverly Heights was laid out in 19552, so the fact that the well is still flowing after all these years feels like a quiet miracle! If it still exists, it’s older than suburbia.
Unfortunately, that might not be the case for much longer. I never went out on an excursion to find the old well myself since I was leery of trespassing, but a big chunk of the twenty-two-acre plot it’s said to sit on was recently sold, and another part is currently up for sale3. Developer The Ridge Group is bringing a ninety-unit luxury apartment complex -The Michelle- to part of the site4. Workers have already begun to clear the area.
Does Yorktown need this development? I don’t know. Aside from possibly jeopardizing the flowing well, I don’t really care! Still, I’d like to snag a chance to see it before it gets capped in the name of progress- that is, if the well’s still there. I haven’t seen it, and it’s probably been fifty years since the guy who referred me to it laid eyes on it as well.
Whether it’s still flowing or long since been capped, the mystery of this White River well lingers like an unfinished chapter. If it’s gone, then it joins the long list of vanished landmarks in East-Central Indiana erased by time or progress. If it survives, hidden in the trees just beyond the reach of bulldozers, then it’s a reminder that history is still alive under our feet, just waiting to be noticed before it disappears. Either way, I’m left with the same urgency I always feel in chasing down these places: see them while you can, because tomorrow they might only exist in memory!
Sources Cited
1 Meyer, L. Yorktown Indiana Historical Alliance (2024, June 7). I grew up in Anna’s house. That well has been running since before 1969 when my family built our house there. The [Comment]. Facebook.
2 Morrison, H.K. (1955). Beverly Heights Section A. Delaware County, Indiana [Muncie]. Plat.
3 Delaware County Office of Information & GIS Services. (2025). Parcel ID: 1014402009000. Delaware County, Indiana Assessor. map, Muncie, IN.
4 Town of Yorktown Indiana-Community (2025, August 14). An exciting new development is coming to Yorktown! The Ridge Group has been a fantastic partner throughout this process working with Plan [Status]. Facebook.
