Editing Blackford County, Indiana (section)

==Education and health care==
The county's five public schools are administered by the Blackford County School Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackford County Schools |url=http://www.bcs.k12.in.us/ |access-date=June 26, 2011 |publisher=Blackford County School Corporation}}</ref> During the 2010–11 school year, a total of 1,943 students attended these schools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackford County Schools — Overview |url=http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?type=corp&id=0515 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref> The county school system was reorganized in 1963, after a county-wide vote favored a single school system for the entire county.<ref name="AHist28">{{harvnb|Blackford County Historical Society (Ind.)|1986|p=28}}</ref> As a result, Hartford City and Montpelier High Schools graduated their last classes in 1969, and a new high school serving the entire county was constructed in time for the 1969–1970 school year.<ref name="AHist28" /> Like the county, the new high school was named after Isaac Newton Blackford, and is called [[Blackford High School (Indiana)|Blackford High School]]. The school is located a few miles north of Hartford City, near the center of the county. The school was designed for 1,200 students, and initial enrollment totaled to 1,150 students, serving grades 9 through 12.<ref name="AHist28-29">{{harvnb|Blackford County Historical Society (Ind.)|1986|pp=28–29}}</ref> Current high school enrollment is less than 650.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackford High School — Overview |url=http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx?type=school&id=0489 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref> All students in grades 7 and 8 attend Blackford Junior High School.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Education Data for Blackford Junior High School |url=http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0491 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210023151/http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0491 |archive-date=February 10, 2006 |access-date=June 25, 2011 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref> Although the county was served by eight elementary schools during the 1980s, consolidations have decreased the number of elementary schools to three.<ref name="AHist28-29" /> Montpelier Elementary School serves kindergarten through grade 6.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Education Data for Montpelier School |url=http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0485 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020929005728/http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0485 |archive-date=September 29, 2002 |access-date=June 25, 2011 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref> In Hartford City, Southside Elementary School serves kindergarten through grade 3; students in grades 4–6 attend Northside Elementary School.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Education Data for Southside Elementary School |url=http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0501 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020910053555/http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0501 |archive-date=September 10, 2002 |access-date=June 25, 2011 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Education Data for Northside Elementary School |url=http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0494 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020911033720/http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/snapshot.cfm?schl=0494 |archive-date=September 11, 2002 |access-date=June 25, 2011 |publisher=Indiana Department of Education}}</ref>

Four universities are near to Blackford County:
* [[Ball State University]] (Muncie)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ball State University – About – Visit the Campus |url=http://cms.bsu.edu/About/VisitTheCampus.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112082637/http://cms.bsu.edu/About/VisitTheCampus.aspx |archive-date=November 12, 2011 |access-date=October 29, 2011 |publisher=Ball State University}}</ref>
* [[Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana|Ivy Tech State College-East Central]] (Muncie)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ivy Tech Community College – East Central |url=http://www.ivytech.edu/eastcentral/ |access-date=October 29, 2011 |publisher=Ivy Tech Community College}}</ref>
* [[Indiana Wesleyan University]] (a private school in Marion)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Wesleyan University – About Us |url=http://www.indwes.edu/About/ |access-date=October 29, 2011 |publisher=Indiana Wesleyan University}}</ref>
* [[Taylor University]] (a private school in [[Upland, Indiana|Upland]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taylor University – Area Info – Maps and Directions |url=http://www.taylor.edu/about/area-info/maps-and-directions.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927024211/http://www.taylor.edu/about/area-info/maps-and-directions.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |access-date=June 26, 2011 |publisher=Taylor University}}</ref>

Montpelier and Hartford City both have public libraries. The Public Library of Montpelier and Harrison Township was built in 1907 and 1908.<ref>{{harvnb|Leonard|Walker|2005|p=6 section 8}}</ref> The building is known as the Montpelier Carnegie Library because it was made possible by a grant from philanthropist (and former [[business magnate]]) [[Andrew Carnegie]]. The library was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places, 6 July 2007 |url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/listings/20070706.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183251/http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/listings/20070706.HTM |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |access-date=July 2, 2011 |website=New listings |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> Hartford City's Public library, built in 1903, was also funded by a grant from Carnegie. The Carnegie Fund required local towns to do fundraising to match the grants, and to commit to operating the libraries after their construction. In many localities, women's groups were instrumental in organizing and doing fundraising for the libraries, both at the time of construction and since.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hartford City Public Library |url=http://www.hcpubliclibrary.com/about%20us.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711154405/http://www.hcpubliclibrary.com/about%20us.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=June 26, 2011 |publisher=Hartford City Public Library}}</ref> Another library located in Hartford City belongs to the Blackford County Historical Society, and a museum is housed in the same building.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackford County Historical Society |url=http://www.bchs-in.org/ |access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref>

The Blackford County Health Department is located in Hartford City.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blackford County Health Department |url=http://www.blackfordcountygov.us/pages.asp?PageIndex=358 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910185913/http://www.blackfordcountygov.us/pages.asp?PageIndex=358 |archive-date=September 10, 2011 |access-date=September 17, 2011 |publisher=Blackford County}}</ref> The county's hospital is Indiana University Health Blackford Hospital, a 15-bed facility in Hartford City. It opened January 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of IU Health Blackford |url=http://iuhealth.org/blackford/about/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016053156/http://iuhealth.org/blackford/about/history/ |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |access-date=July 1, 2011 |publisher=Indiana University Health}}</ref>