Fountain County, Indiana: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:34, 2 May 2025

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Fountain County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana on the east side of the Wabash River. The county was officially established in 1826 and was the 53rd in Indiana. The county seat is Covington.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the 2020 United States census, its population was 16,479.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has two incorporated cities and six incorporated towns, as well as many small unincorporated communities. It is divided into eleven townships which provide local services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TD">Template:Cite web</ref> An interstate highway, two U.S. Routes and five Indiana state roads cross the county, as does a major railroad line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="IRM">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Indiana was granted statehood near the end of 1816. The first non-indigenous settler in the future Fountain County is thought to have been a Mr. Forbes, who arrived in early 1823 and was soon followed by others.<ref>Clifton 1913, p. 47.</ref> The legislative act creating Fountain County was passed on December 30, 1825, setting an effective date of April 1, 1826. The county's boundaries have remained unchanged since that time.<ref>Clifton 1913, pp. 57–59.</ref> It was named for Major James Fontaine of Kentucky who was killed at Harmar's Defeat (near modern Fort Wayne, Indiana) on October 22, 1790, during the Northwest Indian War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Fountain County, Indiana map from 1876 atlas.jpg

Map of Fountain County from an 1876 atlas

The first Fountain County courthouse was a two-story frame building constructed in Covington in 1827; Abraham Griffith submitted the winning bid of $335.<ref group="n">A $335 capital expense in 1827 would be roughly equivalent to $200,000 in 2009.<ref name="Williamson">Williamson, Samuel H. (April 2010). Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present. MeasuringWorth.</ref></ref> In 1829, plans were made for a larger courthouse building, but then an act of the legislature called for the county seat to be moved. In the end it was decided that the county seat should remain in Covington, and the brick courthouse was completed in 1833. A third courthouse was commissioned in 1856, and was completed in 1857 at a cost of $33,500.<ref group="n">A $33,500 capital expense in 1857 would be roughly equivalent to $10,900,000 in 2009.<ref name="Williamson" /></ref> The circuit court met for the first time in the new building in January 1860, and the building was largely destroyed by fire the same day. Isaac Hodgson was the architect for the rebuilt courthouse, which was first occupied in January 1861; the total cost, including the reconstruction, totaled $54,624.05.<ref group="n">A $54,624 capital expense in 1861 would be roughly equivalent to $17,600,000 in 2009.<ref name="Williamson" /></ref><ref>Clifton 1913, pp. 64–67.</ref> The current courthouse was built in 1936–37 at a cost of $246,734;<ref group="n">A $246,734 capital expense in 1936 would be roughly equivalent to $17,300,000 in 2009.<ref name="Williamson" /></ref> it replaced the previous building which had been declared unsafe. The 1937 building was constructed by the Jacobson Brothers of Chicago; the architects were Louis R. Johnson and Walter Scholar of Lafayette. The courthouse walls display murals painted by Eugene Francis Savage and others from 1937 to 1940, covering Template:Convert of wall space and depicting the settlement of western Indiana.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Digging on the Wabash and Erie Canal began in 1832 and worked southwest; it reached Lafayette by 1842. In 1846 it reached Covington, and by 1847 traffic was moving through the county via the canal. Completion of the county's first railroad line in the 1850s heralded an end to the canal's usefulness, and in 1875 the last canal boat passed through Covington.<ref>Clifton 1913, pp. 130–131.</ref>

The first railway line through the county was the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway (later the Wabash Railroad) which was built from the east across the northern part of the county and reached Attica in 1856; it continued west through Warren County and reached the Illinois state line the following year. The Indianapolis, Crawfordsville and Danville Railroad (later the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway), was started in 1855, but the general state of the economy halted construction in 1858. It was completed by another owner in 1870, and traffic started in 1871. It passed through Covington, Veedersburg and Hillsboro.<ref>Clifton 1913, pp. 131–132.</ref>

Geography

File:Map of Fountain County, Indiana.svg

Map of Fountain County, showing townships and settlements

File:Mellott, Indiana.png

The town of Mellott

Fountain County's northern and western borders are defined by the Wabash River which flows southwesterly out of Tippecanoe County.

According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 99.44%) is land and Template:Convert (or 0.56%) is water.<ref name=DC/> Elevations range from Template:Convert above sea level in the northeastern part of the county to Template:Convert in the southwest where the Wabash River leaves the county. The county is within the drainage basin of the Wabash River, sloping to the southwest. It is covered with loess ranging in thickness from a few inches to more than Template:Convert. Approximately 84 percent of the county's land is use for agriculture.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

The Portland Arch Nature Preserve and the Miller-Campbell Memorial Tract, a Template:Convert preserve managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, are located adjacent to the Wabash River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Template:Div col

Warren County - north
Tippecanoe County - northeast
Montgomery County - east.
Parke County - south
Vermillion County - southwest

Template:Div col end

Communities

Cities

Attica
Covington (county seat)

Incorporated towns

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Unincorporated communities

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Previous settlements

Stringtown - abandoned mining settlement south of Covington

There are several coal mines in southwest Fountain County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Townships

Template:Div col

Cain (July 24, 1826)
Davis
Fulton
Jackson
Logan
Millcreek
Richland (July 24, 1826)
Shawnee (July 24, 1826)
Troy (July 24, 1826)
Van Buren
Wabash (July 24, 1826)<ref>Clifton 1913, p. 59.</ref>

Template:Div col end

Transportation

File:Wabash River at Williamsport.png

Looking across the Wabash River to Fountain County

File:Attica, Indiana house.png

A 19th-century home in Attica

File:Attica Indiana from the west.png

Attica from the west

Highways

Template:Nowrap runs east–west through the middle of Fountain County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nowrap follows the same general east–west route of I-74 through the county; in the eastern part it runs on the south side of the interstate, but crosses to the north side between Veedersburg and Covington.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nowrap runs north–south through the county, passing through Attica and Veedersburg.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Three east–west state roads cross the county. Template:Nowrap enters Attica from Warren County and crosses the north end of the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nowrap enters the middle of the county from Perrysville to the west and passes through Fountain County on its way to Crawfordsville to the east.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nowrap, further to the south, enters from Cayuga to the west and passes east through Kingman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two north–south state roads run through the county. Template:Nowrap passes through Attica and shares the route of US Route 41 running goes south. At Rob Roy it turns to run southeast through Newton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Nowrap starts at State Road 28 in the north and runs south, ending at State Road 234.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Railroads

A Norfolk Southern Railway line crosses northern Fountain County on its route between Danville, Illinois and Lafayette, Indiana;<ref name=IRM/> it carries about 45 freight trains each day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Air transportation

There are no public-use airports within the boundary of Fountain County; air service is available at nearby airports:

Purdue University Airport - Indiana's second busiest airport, in Tippecanoe County, is operated by Purdue University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Indianapolis International Airport is located about Template:Convert east of Fountain County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart Fountain County is in the humid continental climate region of the United States along with most of Indiana. Its Köppen climate classification is Dfa,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> meaning that it is cold, has no dry season, and has a hot summer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Covington have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert inches in February to Template:Convert inches in June.<ref name=WX/>

From 1950 through 2009, six tornadoes were reported in Fountain County, causing $25 million in damage but no fatalities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Three public bodies administer Fountain County schools:

Attica Consolidated School Corporation (northern Fountain County) – served 964 students during the 2009–2010 school year. It runs Attica Elementary and Attica Junior–Senior High Schools.
Covington Community School Corporation (western Fountain County) – served 1,012 students during 2009–2010. It runs Covington Elementary, Covington Middle, and Covington High Schools.
Southeast Fountain School Corporation (eastern Fountain County) – served 1,279 students during 2009–2010. It runs Southeast Fountain Elementary and Fountain Central Junior–Senior High Schools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

Daniel Wolsey Voorhees was born in Ohio but was raised in Fountain County. He attended school in Veedersburg, graduated from college in 1849, was admitted to the bar, and began practicing law in Covington; he moved to Terre Haute in 1857. He served as a United States Senator (1877–1897), and was known as "the tall sycamore of the Wabash". He died in Washington in 1897 and is buried in Terre Haute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

John Myers was born in Covington in 1927. He graduated from Covington High School, then from Indiana State University in Terre Haute; he served in the United States Army and then served in the US House of Representatives 1967–1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Daniel Voorhees

Daniel Voorhees
Voorhees historical marker

Voorhees historical marker
John Myers

John Myers

Government

Template:See also The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code. The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. The council members set salaries, the annual budget and special spending. The council has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes and service taxes.<ref name="inc3623">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="inc2102">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, the county budgeted approximately $9.8 million for the district's schools and $3.2 million for other county operations and services, for a total annual budget of approximately $13 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A board of commissioners comprises the county's executive body. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered four–year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.<ref name=inc3623/><ref name=inc2102/>

The county maintains a circuit court. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a lawyer admitted to practice law in Indiana.<ref name=inc2102/>

The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and be residents of the county.<ref name=inc2102/>

Each township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties.<ref name=TD/> The trustee is assisted by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Based on the 2010 United States Census, Fountain County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 23;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Indiana House of Representatives districts 13 and 42.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census there were 16,479 residents in Fountain County.<ref name="2020 Fountain UCN" />

Fountain County Racial Composition<ref name="2020 Fountain UCN">Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	15,349	93.6%
Black or African American (NH)	56	0.3%
Native American (NH)	38	0.2%
Asian (NH)	43	0.26%
Pacific Islander (NH)	6	0.04%
Other/Mixed (NH)	575	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	412	2.5%

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,240 people, 6,935 households, and 4,787 families in the county.<ref name="DP">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 7,865 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="DC">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population.<ref name=DP/> In terms of ancestry, 21.6% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 14.3% were American, and 12.5% were English.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 6,935 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 41.6 years.<ref name=DP/>

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $51,696. Males had a median income of $44,118 versus $28,462 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,949. About 8.9% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>