The Small Town That Nearly Drowned in Goldfish

Picture this: you inherit some useless swampland, and instead of cursing your luck, you turn it into America’s first goldfish empire. That’s exactly what happened in a small Indiana town that became home to millions of shimmering orange swimmers.

• Martinsville, Indiana became the “Goldfish Capital of the World” thanks to one man’s creative problem-solving with swampy land
• Grassyfork Fisheries produced up to 150 million fish annually at its peak, supplying 75% of America’s commercial goldfish
• What started with 200 fish in 1902 grew into a tourist destination that shipped goldfish worldwide

When Life Gives You Swamps, Make Goldfish Farms

Eugene Shireman had a problem. In 1899, he’d inherited some land in Martinsville, IN, that was about as useful for traditional farming as a chocolate teapot. The ground was too wet, too swampy, too stubborn for crops. Most folks would’ve thrown in the towel and called it a day.

But Shireman had seen something magical at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. These brilliant orange fish from China called goldfish were catching everyone’s attention. Americans were fascinated by these colorful swimmers, but getting them was tough since hardly anyone in the U.S. was raising them yet.

That swampland suddenly didn’t look so useless anymore.

From 200 Fish to Millions

In 1902, Shireman took a gamble and bought 200 breeding goldfish. Many didn’t survive those first attempts, but through pure determination and plenty of trial and error, he figured out how to make them thrive in his converted ponds.

The breakthrough came when an Indianapolis businessman had a wild marketing idea: why not give away a pet goldfish with every purchase of soap powder? Suddenly, everyone wanted goldfish, and Shireman was ready to supply them.

What happened next sounds like something out of a fairy tale. Grassyfork Fisheries exploded into one of the largest goldfish operations on the planet. By the late 1930s, this little Indiana farm was cranking out 75% of all commercial goldfish in America. Major department stores like Woolworth’s and Kresge’s were placing massive orders, with one New York store alone buying $250,000 worth of fish each year.

The Town That Goldfish Built

Word spread fast about Martinsville’s golden secret. The town earned the nickname “Goldfish Capital of the World,” and it wasn’t marketing fluff. Art Brill, who worked at the fishery in 1950, remembers the heyday: “It was the largest employer in the county. Every day, there were trucks coming in here hauling fish out.”

The operation was mind-boggling in scale. Workers would wade into ponds with large dippers, scooping up hundreds of goldfish at a time while cranes swooped overhead looking for an easy meal. The farm eventually expanded to 255 ponds spread across the Martinsville area.

Tourism followed the fish. The Grassyfork showroom became a genuine attraction, with visitors coming from across the country to see the goldfish operation in action. Local businesses popped up selling aquariums, fish food, and pet supplies. The whole town was swimming in goldfish money.

Beyond the Backyard Goldfish Bowl

These weren’t your typical pet store goldfish either. Grassyfork raised eight different varieties, from common goldfish to fancy fantails and shubunkins. The operation was so successful that by World War II, they’d expanded internationally, shipping fish to England and operating out of New Jersey.

The numbers were staggering. At peak production, the farm could produce up to 150 million fish in a single year. Even today, under new ownership by Missouri-based Ozark Fisheries, the operation continues. Joe Cleveland, the fourth-generation owner, puts it simply: “There’s a good chance that if you grew up in the Midwest, your goldfish came from Grassyfork or Ozark.”

When the Bubble Burst

Like many boom industries, the goldfish craze couldn’t last forever. By the 1960s, competition had increased, and changes to state highways diverted traffic away from the tourist-friendly showroom. Eugene Shireman had passed away, and the business began to decline.

Missouri-based Ozark Fisheries bought the operation in 1970, and while they’ve kept it running, the golden age of Martinsville’s goldfish empire has passed. Today, the facility employs about 10 people compared to being the county’s largest employer in the 1950s.

Swimming Into History

The old Grassyfork showroom earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, but many locals feel the story deserves more recognition. Art Brill, now 92 and still living near the old Fish Hatchery Lake, worries that fewer people remember when Martinsville was synonymous with goldfish.

That soggy inheritance that seemed worthless in 1899 ended up creating an industry that shaped American pet ownership for generations. From county fairs to department stores to millions of home aquariums, Shireman’s vision connected families across the country with their first pet fish.

Next time you see a goldfish swimming in a bowl, remember that there’s a pretty good chance its great-great-grandparents came from some swampy ponds in Indiana, where one man’s problem became an entire town’s golden opportunity.