Decatur County, Indiana

Decatur County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Greensburg
Year Organized: 1821
Square Miles: 373

Court House:

150 Courthouse Square, Suite 109
County Courthouse
Greensburg, IN 47240-2099

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, 1804 hero of Tripoli often remembered for his toast "... Our Country, may she always be right; but our country, right or wrong!" He also fought heroically in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel with Commodore James Barron on March 22, 1820.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Decatur County was organized December 31, 1821, and became effective on March 4, 1822. It was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., naval officer in the First and Second Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812. Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel in 1820

Greensburg is the County Seat. Tradition says that the wife of Colonel Thomas Hendricks named this town in honor of her old hometown in Pennsylvania.

Decatur County is divided into 9 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Clay, Clinton, Fugit, Jackson, Marion, Salt Creek, Sand Creek and Washington.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 373 square miles (967 km²), of which 373 square miles (965 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2 km²) (0.22%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Rush County
Northeast: Franklin County
Southeast: Ripley County
Southwest: Jennings County; Bartholomew County
Northwest: Shelby County

Cities and Towns:

- Adams	township
- Clay	township
- Fugit	township
- Greensburg (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Jackson	township
- Millhousen	town	Incorporated Area
- New Point	town	Incorporated Area
- Saltcreek	township
- Sandcreek	township
- St. Paul	town	Incorporated Area
- Westport	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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."

Penn Foster High School

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