Pulaski county in the 1850s. Just after the Civil War he and his son Richard were in Rochester, Indiana, where they were involved in editing and publishing The Standard, which later became the Rochester Sentinel. Medaryville is shown as Madeiraville on Mitchell's New Universal Atlas, 1857. The town was once also commonly known Medarysville; one history incorrectly asserts that such was the original name. Medaryville had an oil rush at the turn of the 20th century. Many wells were put in just west of town, and a refinery was built at the little town of Asphaltum. The oil pockets were of limited production, however, and the oil of poor quality. The enterprise was quickly abandoned. Attempts to rekindle the boom occurred in the 1950s and again in the 1980s, without gaining traction. Also at the turn of the century B. J. Gifford's ambitious agricultural enterprise, known locally as the Gifford Marsh, and his railroad, The Chicago and Wabash Valley, lay west of town. From the 1930s to about 1980 William Gehring grew vegetables on much of the old Gifford land. The proximity of the potato fields led to Medaryville's longstanding nickname "Tatertown." In the past, town held a festival known as the Potato Fest, in honor of this facet of its history. Notable natives Clarence Hansell (1898–1967), research engineer Geneva Mitchell (1908–1949), actress References 4. Goodspeed, Weston A. "Pulaski County", in "Counties of White and Pulaski", F. A. Battey and Co., 1883 External links Old Medary Ville History and Restoration Project Towns in Pulaski County, Indiana Towns in Indiana