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Indiana State...
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Indiana Counties
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Indiana Counties
Indiana is divided into 92 counties. The oldest and newest counties in Indiana are Knox County
(created 1790) and Newton County (created 1857).
The largest county is Allen (657 sq. mi.) and the smallest is Ohio (87 sq. mi.). According to the Indiana
Constitution, no county may be created of less than 400 square miles, nor may any county smaller than this be
further reduced in size.
Many Indiana counties are named for the US Founding Fathers and personalities of the American Revolutionary War,
the War of 1812 and Battle of Tippecanoe; early leaders of Indiana Territory and Indiana, as well as surrounding
states like Michigan and Kentucky; plus Native American tribes and geographical features.
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Adams County, Indiana
Adams County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Decatur
Year Organized: 1835
Square Miles: 339
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Court House: 112 South Second
County Courthouse
Decatur, IN 46733-1618
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Named for John Quincy Adams, Sixth President of the United States.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Adams County was organized March 1, 1836. A large tract of land lying between Allen and Randolph counties had been previously called Adams County, however, no organization had been effected. Decatur is the County Seat. Decatur was probably named in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur
- Adams County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows: Blue Creek, French, Hartford, Jefferson,
Kirkland, Monroe, Preble, Root, St. Marys, Union, Wabash and Washington.
- Adams County was organized March 1, 1836. A large tract of land lying between Allen and Randolph counties
had been previously called Adams County, however, no organization had been effected.
- Decatur is the County Seat. Samuel Johnson offered as an inducement to have the county seat located on his
land, the sum of $3,100, four church lots, half an acre for a public square, one acre for a seminary and two
acres for a cemetery. He further agreed to pay the expenses of the locating commissioners, and furnish a house
to hold court in until suitable buildings could be erected. The county commissioners promptly accepted the offer
"and proceeded to the aforesaid town site, and marked a white oak tree with blazes on four sides, on each of
which they individually inscribed their names."
- Decatur was probably named in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur and in 1849 it had seventy houses (three of
which were brick, twenty-one frame and the remainder of logs) with a population of about 400.
- According to the Society of Indiana Pioneers, an individual was a pioneer of our county if they resided here
on or before December 31, 1840.
- Indiana automobile License Plates issued in Adams County start with the prefix 1 because it is the first
county in alphabetical listing.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Van Wert County, Ohio
- Southeast: Mercer County, Ohio
- South: Jay County
- West: Wells County
- Northwest: Allen County
Cities and Towns:
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- Berne |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Decatur
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Geneva |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hartford |
township |
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- Jefferson |
township |
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- Kirkland |
township |
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- Monroe |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Preble |
township |
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- Root |
township |
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- Union |
township |
County Resources:
ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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