Hayden was platted in 1854, the year the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad (later the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern) reached the site; J. P. Swarthout built the first house and served as the community's first railroad station agent. The settlement was first called Hardenburg and was renamed Hayden in 1889, reportedly because large quantities of hay were shipped from the community; the railroad depot in the center of town served as a community gathering place.
A carpenter who worked on the town's Methodist church was later identified as a member of the Reno Gang and was among the gang members hanged by a Seymour vigilance committee in 1868.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
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