[4] Sheridan, once the second largest town in Hamilton County, lies on the south edge of land originally owned by George Boxley, a merchant and miller in Virginia who had fled from there ahead of bounty hunters because he was also an abolitionist suspected of fomenting a failed slave rebellion in 1815.

The Sheridan Downtown Commercial Historic District encompasses approximately four blocks along Main Street from the former Monon railroad right-of-way north to Veteran's Park and Pioneer Hill, the site of the George Boxley Cabin, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Higbee, born in Ohio and brought to Adams Township as a child, did, indeed, lay out a town he called Millwood on land adjacent to the district school (built 1851) on the state road.

Higbee immediately began to sell off lots to enterprising merchants and a few mill owners, and the little village got its start.

Its location on the state road connecting Noblesville and Lafayette was a good site for an agricultural center.

By this time other entrepreneurs had laid out additions to Millwood as well, but growth was slow until the coming of the Monon Railroad in 1882 which stimulated a commercial and industrial boom.

The subsequent discovery of natural gas on West 3rd Street in 1888 boosted the town's growth even further as several additional industries chose to locate there.

Sheridan's movers and shakers eagerly expanded their holdings to take advantage of this inexpensive fuel, which, unfortunately, as in the several other “gas boom” counties of Indiana, soon ran out.

But for a time, Sheridan even boasted both glass factory and a cannery along with a large brickworks, the Thistlethwaite Tile and Brick plant.

Sheridan, around the turn of the twentieth century had become the second largest town in the county with a thriving commercial district along Main Street.

Included were a large variety of stores, several hotels, banks, and lodges still sharing the street with a few dwellings.

After the fire, a new brick building was constructed at the southwest corner of Main and Cora (presently Jaycee) streets—previously the site of a livery stable that also burned.

But downtown Sheridan retained its character, and a substantial number of the historic buildings constructed from the 1880s to the 1930s remain intact.

They constitute a three-dimensional historic document of Sheridan's boom years and stand at the heart of its new growth.

About 2.7% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over Sheridan High School has had notable success in football in recent years, winning Class 1A Indiana state championships in 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2005, 2006, and 2007.under coach Larry "Bud" Wright, Indiana Hall of Fame Coach.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Hobbs led Sheridan teams to success.

The Sheridan High School Blackhawk Winter Guard competed in IHSCGA competitions, and made it to State Finals in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2001.

In 1996 and 1997 The Winter Guard competed in WGI regional competitions in Ohio and Tennessee representing the High School and the state of Indiana.

Sheridan lies approximately 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of downtown Indianapolis at the intersection of Indiana Highways 38 and 47.