Laurel is a town in Laurel Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 512 at the 2010 census. Laurel was platted in 1836 by James Conwell, a native of Maryland. Conwell had first intended to name his settlement New Baltimore, but instead decided to call it Laurel, after the city of Laurel, Maryland. The last wild passenger pigeon, on…Laurel is a town in Laurel Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 512 at the 2010 census. Laurel was platted in 1836 by James Conwell, a native of Maryland. Conwell had first intended to name his settlement New Baltimore, but instead decided to call it Laurel, after the city of Laurel, Maryland. The last wild passenger pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, was shot near Laurel in 1902.