 Templeton was laid out by Col. William J. Templeton and his wife Melissa on December 23, 1873, and contained 225 lots.Two railways, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis (the "Big Four") and the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington (the "Nickel Plate"), intersected at the site.Its first building was a shanty occupied by John Cosgrove, and was soon followed by the dwellings of Col. Templeton and others.