City Of Sunman Indiana

Sunman was platted by James Vanness in 1856 around a crossing of the
"Big Four" railroad track, which was laid in 1853.

Two versions tell of how the town was named Sunman. Harold Freeland in
his History of Adams Township reported a story told by Ruby Sunman Hess
that the town was named in honor of Thomas W. Sunman, "then a prominent
citizen of the township, stockholder in the new railroad and an
intimate friend who had been a great assistance to Mr. Vanness in his
real estate venture." It has also been reported that Mr. Vanness called
the town Sunmanville in honor of a friend, John Sunman, who assisted him
in surveying and platting the land. Both were sons of John Sunman, Sr.

In 1853, a railroad was built across Ripley County and opened for
traffic from Lawrenceburg to Indianapolis. The original town of Sunman,
laid out parallel to the railroad tracks, became a major trading center,
drawing customers from  Adams Township, northern Franklin Township, and
Dearborn County. Trains stopped traveling on the railroad line that
runs through Sunman during the early 1980s, but Central Railroad bought
the line recently and reopened it to train traffic. Currently trains no
longer stop in Sunman, and rail travel has ceased to have an impact on
the community.

Sunman has had to face its share of problems -- two fires caused heaving
destruction in the town in 1886 and 1905 -- however, the town and its
citizens have always persevered.