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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.

Jackson County, Indiana

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

County Seat: Brownstown
Year Organized: 1815
Square Miles: 509

Court House:

Main Street
County Courthouse
Brownstown, IN 47220-0000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for General Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 later becoming the 7th President of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Jackson County was the fourteenth to be organized in the Territory of Indiana and was formed form Washington and Jefferson counties, the legislative act having been passed December 18, 1815. Jackson County was organized January 1, 1816. It was named for Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, and later became President.

Jackson County is home to the second longest covered bridge in the United States. However, due to decades of neglect the bridge is on the verge of collapse and has been closed to pedestrian traffic. Another long neglected covered bridge, the Bells Ford Bridge, which was the last remaining Post Truss bridge in the world, succumbed to similar neglect, collapsing into the White River on January 2, 2006.

Because the Bell's Ford Bridge used a metal truss it was able to be largely salvaged, however, the Commissioner President Gary Darlage has been quoted as saying: "There is nothing left of the Bell Ford Bridge and I will not spend another tax dollar on it. Ninety percent of the people in this county think it is asinine to even consider rebuilding that bridge. By asking for any amount of money to be used on it, you are asking me to do something I don’t believe is right." Although it has been brought to Darlage's attention that federal funds could be used to restore the Bell's Ford Bridge, Darlage has refused to request federal funds, saying, "I guess I’m just not a historic person. The average taxpayer sees it as their tax money, even if it is federal money."

Jackson County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows: Brownstown, Carr, Driftwood, Grassy Fork, Hamilton, Jackson, Owen, Pershing, Redding, Salt Creek, Vernon and Washington.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 514 square miles (1,331 km²), of which 509 square miles (1,319 km²) is land and 4 square miles (12 km²) (0.86%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Bartholomew County; Jennings County
Southeast: Scott County
South: Washington County
West: Lawrence County
Northwest: Monroe County; Brown County

Cities and Towns:

- Brownstown (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Carr	township
- Crothersville	town	Incorporated Area
- Driftwood	township
- Grassy Fork	township
- Jackson	township
- Medora	town	Incorporated Area
- Owen	township
- Redding	township
- Seymour	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."