Sandford, Indiana

Sandford, Indiana
Unincorporated community
Vigo County's location in Indiana
Sandford Location in Vigo County, Indiana
Coordinates: 39°32′43″N 87°31′50″W / 39.54528°N 87.53056°W / 39.54528; -87.53056
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Vigo
Township	Fayette
Elevation [1]	630 ft (192 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47885
Area codes	812, 930
FIPS code	18-67824[2]
GNIS feature ID	442999

Sandford is an unincorporated community in Fayette Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.^[3] The community is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. A small portion of Sandford, now known as West Sandford or “Stringtown”, is in Illinois.

History

Sandford was established in 1854 at the state line between Illinois and Indiana. With the building of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, it became an important town in the area. In 1890 it had a population of approximately 250.^[4]

A post office was established at Sandford in 1855, and remained in operation until 1995.^[5]

On Jan. 19, 1907, at least 30 people were killed when nitroglycerin exploded in a freight car as a passenger train passed.^[6]

Geography

Sandford is located at 39°32′43″N 87°31′50″W / 39.54528°N 87.53056°W / 39.54528; -87.53056.

References

1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "Sandford, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
4. Bradsby, H.C. (1891). History of Vigo County, Indiana, with Biographical Selections. Chicago: S. B. Nelson & Co. pp. 481.
5. "Vigo County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
6. "Sandford offers more than first meets the eye". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. January 17, 2016. Archived from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2026. The train disaster in Sandford on Jan. 19, 1907, is remembered as one of the most tragic events in Vigo County history. At about 8 p.m. approximately 80 persons boarded passenger train No. 3 in Terre Haute destined for Sandford and points west. A few minutes earlier, westbound freight train No. 99 pulled into a siding at Sandford to allow the passenger train to pass. As No. 3 approached the Sandford depot at about 8:50 p.m. it pulled parallel to the freight. Three boxes of nitroglycerin in a freight car ignited, causing a horrendous and tragic explosion that leveled nearly every object with 250 yards. The entire passenger train was reduced to rubble and at least 30 people were killed.