Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
“McClain House is a historic home located in Washington Township, Hendricks County, Indiana. It was built about 1876, and is a Italianate style brick dwelling.”
Wikipedia article John W. McClain House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 22 National Register listings published here for Hendricks County · listed in 2004 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
The chapter on Washington Township in History of Hendricks County, Indiana, published 1885 names Avon. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The first church organized in Washington Township was at the house of Robert Wilson, in 1823. This is now the Shiloh Church, and it was the first Methodist Episcopal church organization in the i county, and the fourth one of any denomination. There are now in Washington Township three Methodist Episcopal churches - Shiloh and Wesley and Barlett's chapels - ana two Regular | Baptist - Abner's Creek and Salem. The Indianapolis &St. Louis Railroad passes nearly through the center of the township, and the only postoffice in it is at the village of Avon, a station on this rail¬ road.
Passage source: History of Hendricks County, Indiana, published 1885.
Seth T. Huron is a native of Hendricks County, Ind., born in Washington Township, June 26, 1850, a son of Benjamin A. and Katherine Huron. He was reared and educated in his native county, and for about four years was one of its corps of school¬ teachers. In 1872 he went to Atchison, Kas., where he was employed as clerk in a store two years, and in 1874 returned to Hen¬ dricks County. He has devoted his attention to agricultural pur¬ suits and now owns a tine farm near Avon. In the spring of 1884 he was elected Justice of the Peace, and assumed the duties of his office the following November. Mr. Huron was married Aug. 2, I 1876, to Mary E. Farmer, daughter of David Farmer, formerly of j Hendricks County, now of Putnam County, Mo. To them have been born four children - Mary E., born May 3, 1877; Frank P., born Juue 16, 1880, died March 16, 1881; Irma R., born April 30,
Passage source: History of Hendricks County, Indiana, published 1885.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Washington Township - 9,569 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of John W. McClain House in 2007, burning under an acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 March 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of John W. McClain House: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Avon, the town this property stands in, in 54 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 28 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $750,000 | Damaging thunderstorm winds caused significant damage to ten homes and minor damage to nearly fifty homes near County Road 800 East and 100 North along Captain Drive. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Avon | $250,000 | Very intense rainfall led to brief flash flooding across portions of Avon and Plainfield. Several roads had water over the curb while also rapidly flowing. Avon High school was partially flooded after the roof began to leak. 2 reports of rainfall over 4 inches were received with the rainfall occurring over a period of less than 2 hours. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $65,000 | A building was destroyed along US Route 36, west of Ronald Reagan Parkway, due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. A few other structures and barns were heavily damaged or destroyed across the county. |
| August 2003 | Lightning | Avon | $60,000 | A house was struck by lightning. The home received 60K in damage to the roof and attic. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Avon | $50,000 | The roof was torn off of an industrial building, and quarter size hail fell in Avon. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $17,000 | Storms Wednesday led to some major damage in Hendricks County, toppling the batting cages at baseball fields managed by the Avon Junior Athletic Association.||Poles were ripped up from the ground and left in a pile. Nets for the batting cages were strewn about.||The storm came quickly Wednesday night and was gone just as suddenly. Video provided to FOX59 showed strong winds churning up what appeared to be a gustnado, according to the National Weather Service. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $10,000 | Numerous reports of tree damage due to thunderstorm wind gusts across Hendricks county with most concentrated damage in Avon. Several larger trees were also either snapped or damaged, but most showed some amounts of rot. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $10,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts blew over 30 feet of fences and trees of unknown size. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $10,000 | A tree roughly 18 inches in diameter was snapped due to thunderstorm wind gusts and fell onto utility lines. |
| August 2016 | Tornado (EF1) | Avon | $5,000 | A few tree trunks were snapped due to this brief EF-1 tornado touchdown, with maximum wind speeds of 95 mph. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Avon | $5,000 | Heavy rainfall draining into White Lick Creek caused the creek to overflow. A mobile home park near 600 East and 100 North was in the process of evacuation due to concern of a possible dam break. Damage estimate is greatly estimated. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $5,000 | A tree, twenty inches in diameter, and power lines were downed at Highway 267 and 200 North in Avon due to thunderstorm wind gusts. The time of this event has been estimated. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $5,000 | Trees and power lines were reported down throughout the county due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $2,000 | Trees downed by thunderstorm wind gusts in Avon with a trampoline badly damaged after it was blown into the street. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $2,000 | Numerous medium to large tree limbs downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Minor street flooding also noted at the time the report was sent. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $1,000 | A tree was blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts near Avon Intermediate West school and accompanied by dime size hail and torrential rain. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $1,000 | A large portion of a pear tree was broken off due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | $500 | A six to eight-inch diameter section of a moderate-sized tree split off due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| March 2026 | Hail | Avon | - | A large volume of hail which covered the roadways. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Avon | - | Lots of pea to dime sized hail observed just east of the Highway 267 and Highway 36 intersection. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | An estimated thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was observed in this location. |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | Quarter sized hail covered the ground to approximately one foot deep. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | Nickel to quarter sized hail was observed in this location. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | A thunderstorm wind gust, estimated at 65 mph, was reported in Avon. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Avon | - | Nickel sized hail was observed in this location and lasted for 3 to 4 minutes. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Avon | - | The hail stones were mostly half inch sized, with several three quarter inch sized stones as well. The event started at 531 PM EDT and lasted 10 minutes. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts between 50 to 60 mph were estimated in this location. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | A twelve inch diameter tree was down on State Route 267 and County Road 2600 South due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | Three trees were blown down due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | Power lines were blown down. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Hail | Avon | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | A.A. Parsons Farmstead | 0.9 miles | 2014 |
 | Plainfield Historic District | 3.3 miles | 2010 |
 | THI and E Interurban Depot-Substation | 3.8 miles | 2002 |
 | Smith Farm | 3.9 miles | 2007 |
 | Hendricks County Bridge Number 316 | 4.0 miles | 2003 |
 | Twin Bridges | 4.0 miles | 2000 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 04000633 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Hendricks County | All 22 listed properties in this county. |
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