Ladoga is a town in Clark Township, Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 1837, the town's post office was established, which still operates today.
In 1840 there were fifteen buildings in Ladoga, including two large stores selling general merchandise — one owned by Taylor Webster and one owned by William Nofsinger. By 1848, there were thirty families living in the town. The Haw Creek Academy was built two miles south of Ladoga in 1838 by the Christian Church. In 1855, the Ladoga Female Seminary was established by the Baptist Church, which quickly decided to allow male students, and shortly afterward the Ladoga Male Academy was established, which soon allowed female students. (Both decided to let in the other gender because of financial concerns.) Central Normal College was founded in Ladoga in 1876; it moved to Danville in 1878. The original building still stands in Ladoga. Known as Normal Hall, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Ferris wheel
The town of Ladoga lays claim to the Chicago World's Fair Ferris Wheel. Designed by Pittsburgh bridge-builder George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., Luther V. Rice of Ladoga agreed to build it. After the Chicago World's Fair, it was placed in Ferris Wheel Park for a while, then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, for its World's Fair.
Geography
Ladoga is located in southeastern Montgomery County. Indiana State Road 234 passes through the town as Main Street, leading east to Jamestown and west to Shades State Park. Crawfordsville, the Montgomery county seat, is to the northwest, and Indianapolis is to the southeast.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Ladoga has a total area of , all land.
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thumb|right|Downtown area of Ladoga - 2008
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ladoga had a population of 1,081. The median age was 33.6 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 412 households in Ladoga, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.8% were married-couple households, 15.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 985 people, 377 households, and 269 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 449 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.4% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.
There were 377 households, of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the town was 36.1 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census Ladoga Elementary School is in the area. Southmont Junior High School and Southmont High School serve secondary students.
The town has a lending library, the Ladoga-Clark Township Public Library.
Notable people
- Joshua Harrison Bruce, farmer and Minnesota state legislator
- Adrian Marks, (Lieutenant Commander US Navy) instrumental in the rescue of 56 survivors of the
- Ed Summers, baseball player, pitched in 1908 World Series