Converse, Indiana: A Town Fueled by Local Flavor

On a typical weekend, cars with license plates from neighboring counties line Jefferson Street in Converse, Indiana, a town of about 1,200 residents straddling the line between Miami and Grant counties. Visitors come to browse antiques, shop for handmade fudge, and savor slow-smoked barbecue, all hallmarks of Converse’s locally owned business district. For many urban-weary Hoosiers, the appeal is an authentic small-town experience: they come to Converse to eat, shop, and relax far from big city bustle. Local business owners have capitalized on this dynamic, building a revitalization strategy around homegrown shops and eateries rather than recruiting outside chains.

Fifteen years ago, Converse’s downtown suffered from empty storefronts and aging facades. The Town Council established a TIF District to revitalize and improve the infrastructure of the downtown district. A grant program was established to assist local businesses to improve their property, and the Town completely replaced the water lines in the downtown district. In addition to this vintage-style lampposts and brick-edged sidewalks were installed to welcome visitors. The storefronts became occupied and now we have a lady’s boutique, a vintage market, a fudge shop, a market that sells exclusively Indiana products and two coffee shops. Later several of these buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic places in the Converse Commercial Historic District. This will allow businesses to access tax benefits when improving their property. The mix of offerings is eclectic but cohesive, united by a common theme: local owners with deep roots in the community.

Many of these proprietors grew up in or around Converse and felt pulled back by nostalgia and pride. Lindsay Baker, for instance, returned to open Jefferson Street BBQ in a once-vacant building that she and her team renovated. For Baker, maintaining these historic downtown buildings is about preserving community identity as much as it is about commerce. With roughly 90% of the central buildings listed on the historic register, every new shop that opens is viewed as another way to keep the town’s history alive. By filling downtown with thriving local businesses, Converse’s entrepreneurs are indeed keeping that heritage alive in town.

Local officials have actively nurtured this shop-local strategy. The Converse Economic Development Corporation, first established by the town council in the 1980s, focuses on empowering existing businesses with an emphasis on small-town values and personal touch. In practice, this has meant offering small grants or loans to spruce up facades, promoting merchants through social media “Business Spotlight” features, and maintaining an aversion to big-box development that might siphon energy from Main Street. The approach has paid off: Converse has quietly become a day-trip destination for people from larger nearby cities like Marion, Kokomo, and even Fort Wayne. Shop owners report that most of their customers now come from out of town, venturing to Jefferson Street for an experience they consider well worth the drive. On weekends it’s common to see visitors strolling between shops with ice cream cones or locally made sodas in hand, enjoying a pace far removed from the mall or highway strip.

Reviving Recreation and Community Spirit

Thriving shops are one pillar of Converse’s resurgence; lively public spaces and events are another. Over the past year, the town has invested heavily in recreation and quality-of-life improvements, guided by a belief that a vibrant community will draw both visitors and new residents. Just off Jefferson Street sits Bordermen Park, a once-dated playground and athletic field that is now in the midst of a major revitalization effort. In 2023, the Converse Park Board rallied residents and secured grants to overhaul the park’s amenities, from installing a smooth new basketball court to replacing rusty swings and adding accessible walkways. A crowdfunding campaign surpassed its $15,000 goal (matched by state development funds), and by early 2024 crews had torn out old equipment and broken pavement to make way for modern upgrades. The Town of Converse pledged $50,000 to assist with a matching grant from DNR for the project.

The park board’s fundraising pitch promised to make Bordermen Park a safe, accessible recreation space for all ages, thereby improving quality of life for the community. Phase I of the project, completed in mid-2024, delivered a refurbished basketball court (complete with new hoops and spectator seating) and cleared the site for a future playground. Phase II added new play structures and shaded picnic areas, ensuring that children and families in Converse have a welcoming place to gather and play.

The Town of Converse developed the Converse Junction Trail in 2015. This is a three-mile paved trail for biking, running, and walking. The Converse Junction Trail connects to the east with the Sweetser Switch Trail and to Cardinal Greenway. The Cardinal Greenway is the longest nonprofit owned trail in the United States. The Converse Junction Trail is also part of the American Discovery Trail which is a trail that connects the East Coast and the West Coast of the United States. This linear park gives Converse residents an awesome trail for recreation and also brings in people from outside of Converse which benefits our local merchants.

Even the local school system has pitched in to enhance recreational facilities. Converse is part of the Oak Hill United School Corporation, and in 2025 the district invested approximately $451,000 to upgrade playgrounds at all three of its elementary schools, including Converse Elementary, to ensure safe, modern play spaces for students. When the plan was announced, officials noted that renovations would start at nearby Swayzee Elementary and emphasized that each community school in the district would see improvements to playground equipment and grounds as part of the project. By summer 2025, new slides, climbing frames, and rubberized fall surfaces had been installed, and Converse families found the school playground open after hours as a de-facto neighborhood park. These enhancements, while not grabbing big headlines, are crucial to small-town life; they signal to young families that the community is investing in its youth and its future.

Perhaps nothing showcases Converse’s community spirit more than its annual traditions. Each December, downtown Converse is transformed for “Christmas in Converse,” a holiday festival that just celebrated its 15th year. On a chilly evening, Jefferson Street is closed to traffic and bathed in the warm glow of string lights and luminaries. Storefronts stay open late offering treats and special deals; Jefferson Street BBQ smokes a batch of holiday turkey chili and ladles out free hot cocoa to hundreds of revelers. Lindsay Baker, the restaurant’s owner, has thrown her doors open for the festival every year and watched it grow exponentially. The event now draws as many as 1,000 people through town some years, packing the tiny downtown with celebrants. The evening features horse-drawn wagon rides, carolers and live music along the sidewalks, and even the spectacle of an ice-skating rink brought in one year on a whim.

By design, the festival highlights everything local. Andy Horner, the town’s librarian and one of several organizers, describes Christmas in Converse as a celebration of the town and its businesses, an event designed to showcase all the wonderful shops and services Converse has to offer. Santa Claus stops by First Farmers Bank & Trust and welcomes hundreds of children who sit on his lap and tell Santa what they would like for Christmas. The result is a hallmark evening where residents and visitors mingle freely. People reconnect with neighbors they haven’t seen in a while, enjoying the safe, close-knit atmosphere of a town where everybody knows everybody.

Converse is also home to the annual Red Rooster Fall Market which just completed the eighth year for this event. The event happens on the first Saturday in October and the downtown is closed to vehicle traffic to accommodate more than 100 vendors who display and sell their unique goods and products. Typically, up to 2,000 people will attend this event. Such events might seem humble, but they are the social glue of the community. They also bring economic spillover; every gathering provides a bump in sales for local shops and often attracts first-time visitors who “discover” Converse and vow to return. Town leaders recognize the importance of these shared spaces. At a recent community forum, one local volunteer observed that turning vacant downtown lots into green spaces or event venues can breathe life into a town center, filling spaces left by demolished buildings with something that draws people together. Converse has embraced that ethic wholeheartedly, ensuring that its revival is not only about commerce but also about community connection.

Harnessing Heritage at the Converse Fairground

One of Converse’s oldest continuing traditions revolves around horses. On the north edge of town, the Converse Fairground has long been a focal point of local equestrian culture, serving as both a historic horse-racing venue and a community gathering place. In fact, more than a century ago around 1900, the Miami County Fair held its harness races at the Converse Fairgrounds, an early testament to this site’s prominence in Indiana’s horse racing circuit. Through the decades that followed, local families kept that tradition alive. For example, the Shirley family operated “Shirley Stables” for years, racing their Standardbred horses out of the Converse Fairgrounds and passing their passion down through generations. Converse’s half-mile dirt track became and remains a beloved home track for many in the harness racing community.

Today, that legacy continues to thrive at the fairground. Each summer, the grandstand comes alive with the sound of hooves and cheering fans during the Converse Race Program, a series of harness racing meets that serve as the kickoff of Indiana’s county fair racing season. Two- and three-year-old Standardbred horses from all over the state make their debut in Converse, competing in early-season races as part of the quest for the Indiana Governor’s Cup, a championship series that builds through the summer and culminates with finals at the Indiana State Fair. For example, in 2022 the Converse Fairground hosted four days of harness racing in early June as the opening legs of the Governor’s Cup circuit. These county fair races are a family-friendly spectacle (admission is typically free) and offer a taste of authentic Hoosier sporting culture. The Indiana Standardbred Association and Indiana Horse Racing Commission promote the fair circuit under the banner of “Real Hoosier Horsepower,” bringing live racing events to rural communities across the state. They provide support such as race programs, video streaming, and prize money that help keep the Converse meets thriving. On race days, local volunteers run concession stands and families fill the bleachers, enjoying an up-close look at Indiana’s racing heritage right in their hometown.

The fairground is not just a once-a-year attraction; it supports equestrian life year-round. Its barns house horses in training through all seasons, as local horsemen use the track daily to exercise and develop young trotters and pacers. For some in Converse, the fairground is almost a second home. One prominent local trainer, 29-year-old Zach Miller, grew up trotting his father’s horses on this track before he was even in kindergarten. Miller drove in his first official harness race at the Converse Fairgrounds when he was 18, and he won, an exhilarating start that cemented his future in the sport. Today he and his wife keep a stable of racehorses in the fairground’s barns and are fixtures at the summer meets, exemplifying how Converse continues to nurture the next generation of harness racing talent. “Converse is where it all begins” for many Indiana horses and horsemen, Miller likes to say, noting that these early races are as much about education for the young horses as competition. The ultimate hope, of course, is that some of those colts and fillies will go on from Converse to win big on the state’s premier tracks, but it all starts at this humble town oval.

Equestrian culture in Converse also extends beyond harness racing. Just outside of town, Boyer Equestrian Enterprises operates a riding school and horse farm that contributes to the local horse heritage. Founded by trainer Anne Boyer, the facility features a dozen large stalls, a lighted outdoor arena, and even a 72×100 foot indoor riding arena, infrastructure that allows for year-round riding lessons and training in multiple disciplines. Boyer Equestrian offers instruction in hunter/jumper technique, Western horsemanship, and speed events, emphasizing classical riding fundamentals for students of all ages. The farm provides boarding and daily care for horses as well. Through programs like Boyer’s lesson series, Converse is cultivating new riders and horse enthusiasts, ensuring that knowledge and love of horses are passed down outside the racing world as well. Community initiatives, from the Converse race program to youth riding education, weave together in support of “Real Hoosier Horsepower.” With backing from organizations like the Indiana Standardbred Association and local enterprises like Boyer Equestrian, the Converse Fairground remains a vibrant hub where Indiana’s equestrian traditions are celebrated, taught, and carried forward into the future.

Legends of Converse

Converse’s heritage isn’t only about horses; it also includes a homegrown hero on two wheels. Generations after Thomas Creviston helped found the town, his descendant Ray Creviston put Converse on the national map in the early 1900s as a motorcycle racing star. Ray Creviston first cut his teeth as a teenager on the Converse fairgrounds’ dirt track in 1912, and by 1914 he had set a one-mile motorcycle speed world record at a race in St. Louis. He soon turned professional and joined the famed Indian Motorcycle racing team, becoming one of Indian’s top riders and a fierce competitor against the dominant Harley-Davidson squad in the sport’s early years. Known for his fearless riding, Creviston raced in major events across the country (and even overseas) and claimed several distance track records during his career.

After traveling the racing circuit around the world, Ray Creviston eventually returned to his hometown as a celebrated champion. He purchased a farm outside Converse and, as local legend fondly recalls, “never drove above thirty miles per hour” on the local roads. His exploits, a world-record holder and internationally competitive racer hailing from a tiny Indiana town, remain a point of pride in Converse. The story of “the fastest man in Converse” endures in community lore, exemplifying the town’s tradition of punching above its weight. It’s a legacy that continues to inspire pride and optimism among residents, reminding them that Converse’s identity is built as much on its remarkable people as on its places.

Converse has always been known for their love and success in Athletics. Converse has been home to five Indiana Hall of Fame members. Bob Macy was inducted as both a basketball player and a basketball coach. Phil McCarter inducted as a basketball coach. Jim Law inducted as a football coach, Andrew King as a wrestling coach, and Monte Towe inducted as a basketball player. Monte was the most recognized nationally as he was not only an Indiana All Star but also started on the North Carolina State Basketball team in 1974 that won the NCAA Basketball Championship. Monte later went on to play professionally in both the former ABA and the NBA

New Homes, New Neighbors

While Converse’s core may be historic, a key part of its future lies on the edge of town in a cornfield-turned-construction site. Bordermen Crossing, a new subdivision spearheaded by the Town of Converse’s Neighborhood Development Corporation, is the most ambitious housing project here in decades. Launched in 2021 on former farmland at the town’s southwest corner, Bordermen Crossing will eventually include 37 single-family homes, a significant addition for a town that had just over 550 housing units in 2010. By late 2025, roughly a dozen houses were finished or under construction, with new families already moving in as others eagerly await completion. For Converse, the development is not just about adding houses; it’s about reversing a population decline and attracting young families with modern homes and small-town charm.

Local leaders had long stressed the need for fresh housing stock. Like many rural Midwestern communities, Converse saw its population slip over the past decade as older residents passed away or moved and younger people were slow to replace them. Census figures show the town’s population dropped from 1,265 in 2010 to 1,161 in 2020, roughly an 8% decline. That trend was a wake-up call. The town formed a nonprofit development corporation, acquired land, and developed the subdivision. Ideal Builders, an Indiana homebuilder, is working with The Town of Converse Neighborhood Development Corporation to build homes. The project broke ground with the promise of new three-bedroom homes (all including the modern perk of a three-car garage) aimed at middle-income buyers who work in the region but crave a quieter place to live. Ideal Builders, the contractor, touted Converse’s location, approximately 15 minutes from Marion, Kokomo, and Wabash, as close enough to larger employment centers but far enough away to feel rural. By pricing the homes in the high-$200,000s to mid-$300,000s, the development targets first-time homeowners and those looking to upgrade from aging farmhouses common in the area.

Early demand for the new homes was strong. Lots were being reserved even before the subdivision’s roads were paved, according to Brenda Williams, a realtor for the project. The appeal is partly the houses themselves, with open floor plans, energy-efficient construction, and customizable finishes, and partly the draw of Oak Hill schools and Converse’s quality of life. Oak Hill High School, located in Converse, is a well-regarded institution known for strong academics and competitive sports programs. Students from around southwestern Grant County attend Oak Hill, which consistently posts above-average test scores and boasts a trophy case full of athletic championships. Several of the first buyers in Bordermen Crossing were Oak Hill alumni who had left the area for college or careers and decided to return once they started having children. The combination of a new home in a familiar community with good schools proved enticing.

If Bordermen Crossing builds out as planned, it could boost Converse’s population by nearly 10% in short order, a reversal of fortune few rural Indiana towns have seen in recent years. Already, after years of decline, the population appears to be stabilizing. The latest estimates put Converse at around 1,125 residents in 2024, with a slight uptick to 1,127 projected in 2025. That modest growth rate (about 0.2% annually) may seem trivial, but local leaders celebrate it as a sign that the bleeding has stopped, and a corner has been turned.

The town has taken proactive steps to welcome these newcomers: extending water and sewer lines to the subdivision, and updating zoning codes for these significantly larger lots.  In return, local officials hope to broaden the tax base and infuse fresh energy into the community. Many of the new residents commute to companies in Marion or Kokomo, but some are now telecommuting thanks to high-speed fiber internet recently installed in town. The influx of young neighbors brings a jolt of vitality – new parents joining the PTA, volunteers signing up to help with the next festival, and perhaps entrepreneurs who might launch Converse’s next beloved business.

Balancing Progress and Preservation

Converse’s Carnegie library offers an example of balancing old and new. Built in 1918 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, the stately Classical Revival brick-and-limestone building still serves its original purpose as the public library. In recent years, library officials recognized that to stay relevant, the facility needed updates, more space for programming, modern amenities, but without sacrificing its historic charm. Plans were drawn up for a modest addition off the back of the building, and by maintaining the exterior style and materials, the library aimed to remain a vibrant, active community space while honoring the legacy of its quiet original reading rooms. Construction of the new wing began in 2019 and was completed by the end of 2020, adding a community meeting hall and kitchen while leaving the original Carnegie structure untouched in front. Today, the Converse-Jackson Township Public Library is a hub of activity, hosting everything from book clubs to yoga classes, and stands as an example of how Converse is embracing improvements without losing its historic character.

As 2025 turns into 2026, Converse finds itself at an inflection point familiar to many small Midwestern towns: how to sustain momentum in the face of larger forces. Rural depopulation and industrial shifts have challenged this region for decades. Yet Converse’s narrative over the past year suggests a cautious optimism. New sidewalks, new businesses, new homes, and renewed civic pride all signal a town pushing forward. The Grant County Economic Growth Council has taken note of Converse’s proactive approach, even as other towns in the county undertake their own revitalization plans. There is a sense that collaboration will be key, whether through county-wide initiatives, regional tourism marketing, or simply sharing ideas among neighboring towns. At a recent meeting of the county commissioners, leaders lauded Converse as “a model of what is possible when a community pitches in together”, a nod to the volunteer spirit evident in everything from park fundraising to festival organizing.

Residents like Andy Horner and Lindsay Baker will tell you that Converse’s strength lies in its people - many of whom wear multiple hats (business owner, volunteer firefighter, to make their hometown better. Horner often points out that high school sports are such a big part of small-town life, you see whole communities rally around the Friday night game, and that rallying spirit now extends beyond sports to the broader cause of community development. In Converse, everyone is on the home team, and the past year’s progress, the store openings, the park improvements, the new houses, are like points on the scoreboard.

The challenges ahead are real. Converse will need to ensure that as it attracts visitors, it also remains a livable, affordable place for longtime residents (12.3% of families here still live in poverty, even with a median household income around $54,000). The balancing act between welcoming change and preserving heritage requires constant calibration. But the town’s trajectory shows a community refusing to fade away. As Town Council President Joe Lenon has bluntly put it, Converse refuses to be a footnote; it aims to be a place where something is always going on, and where the next generation wants to stay.

In Converse, Indiana, the evidence of that ambition is on full display: in the glow of renovated storefronts on Jefferson Street, in the laughter of children on new playground swings, in the thunder of hooves at the fairground track, and in the sight of fresh foundations rising where cornfields once stood. A small town that once quietly went about its business is now making a gentle, confident noise - the sound of renewal, one local step at a time.