Avon in Hendricks County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Adrian A. Parsons / Indiana's Soybean Pioneer

1846-1929

Adrian A. Parsons side of marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

1. Adrian A. Parsons side of marker

Inscription. Adrian A. Parsons A Civil War veteran, Parsons engaged in diversified farming near here in 1884. In 1890s, he began purposeful, sustained cultivation of soybeans used for forage and fertilizer on his farm. Soybeans were not widely grown in U.S. agriculture until 1930s. He originated Mikado variety in 1905. He boosted yields by inoculating seed with nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil.

Indiana's Soybean Pioneer In 1928, the American Soybean Association recognized Parsons as “the pioneer of all soybean growers in Indiana.” He demonstrated the crop’s practical utility for average farms and advanced its importance. When Parsons died in 1929, Indiana farmers planted 326,000 acres of soybeans. By 1939, over 1.3 million acres were planted, ranking Indiana second in nation.

Erected 2017 by Indiana Historical Bureau • Town of Avon. (Marker Number 32.2017.1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.

Location. 39° 44.423′ N, 86° 24.869′ W. Marker is in Avon, Indiana, in Hendricks County. Marker is at the intersection of Whispering Pines Boulevard and South County

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Road 625 East, on the right when traveling east on Whispering Pines Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Avon IN 46123, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Western Yearly Meeting House (approx. 2.7 miles away); Van Buren Elm (approx. 2.7 miles away); Eat (approx. 2.7 miles away); T.H.I. & E. Interurban Depot Building (approx. 2.9 miles away); Sugar Grove Meeting House (approx. 4.6 miles away); Site of "Masonic Well" (approx. 5.1 miles away); Samuel Luther Thompson (approx. 5.7 miles away); Dr. Jeremiah & Ann Jane DePew House (approx. 5.8 miles away).

Also see . . . Adrian A. Parsons / Indiana's Soybean Pioneer. Additional information on Parsons' soybean experiments and his role in developing it as a viable cash crop in Indiana. (Indiana Historical Bureau) (Submitted on September 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Indiana's Soybean Pioneer side of marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

2. Indiana's Soybean Pioneer side of marker

Adrian A. Parsons / Indiana's Soybean Pioneer Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

3. Adrian A. Parsons / Indiana's Soybean Pioneer Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 66 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.