Founded in 1885 by Henry Hempel, Gotha was named after his hometown in Germany. It has been protected as a rural settlement for decades and as a historical preservation district since 1995.

Along main street Gotha, visitors can find Palm Cottage Gardens, formerly home to Dr. Henry Nehrling; the Zion Lutheran Church, founded in 1915; the Yellow Dog Eats Café, housed in the historic Fishers Country Store; the Gotha Post Office; and unique offices. Also in Gotha is a community park for numerous outdoor activities and the Gotha Community Center that was originally a one-room schoolhouse.

On the Palm Cottage Gardens property resides Nehrling Gardens, which is now used as an education center/arboretum /botanical garden to teach historic preservation, horticultural education and environmental conservation.