The first settlers in the area were the Stafford Family who from Virginia in 1818 and subsequently named for Stafford Township in which the community of Marco was located.  The area at that time was literally a pond and there were many mosquitos and snakes.  In 1859, the village had a store and a post office.  The town was named Marco because most of the residents were reading the book, Marco Polo, about the great Italian Traveler.  In 1869, the first railroad from Vincennes to Indianapolis passed about a half of a mile west of the community or what became known as “old Marco”.  The residents then moved the town to the west bank of Black Creek, but retained the name Marco.  Several business opened at the new site, one of the most profitable being the red tile industry.  Thousands of red tiles were shipped away in boats down the river and soon another tile factory opened to meet the demand.  The Morgan Family came to Stafford Township in 1853 and purchased a large tract of swampland.  By 1869, when the railroad came, the Morgan Family had ditched and drained 5,000 acres and raised corn, wheat, oats, and barley.  Once the railroad was complete, the railroad company built themselves a boarding house, a train depot, and crude pens and loading ramps for the shipments of Morgan grain, cattle, hogs, and their world famous Morgan Horse dynasty.

Provided by Mildred “Milly” (Coleman) Uland