Jasper is a city in, and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of,

Dubois County Dubois County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. The county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Dubois County was formed on Decem ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States, located along the

Patoka River The Patoka River (Pronounced, PaTohKah) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 tributary of the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana in the United States. It d ...

. The population was 16,703 at the 2020 census making it the 48th largest city in

. On November 4, 2007, Dubois County returned to the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

, after having moved to the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinate ...

the previous year. Land use in the area is primarily agricultural. The Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors players and others associated with the national pastime who were born or lived in Indiana, is located in Jasper.

History

Jasper was founded in 1818. The Enlow family were the first settlers of the town. Jasper was originally going to be named "Eleanor" after the wife of early settler Joseph Enlow, but she opted to suggest a name herself, and named the city after a passage in the Bible (Revelation 21:19). Jasper was not officially platted until 1830. That year, the community became the new county seat of Dubois County, succeeding Portersville. The Jasper post office has been in operation since 1832. During the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

era,

Jessie Hull Mayer Jessie Hull Mayer (July 28, 1910 – July 1, 2009) was an American painter and muralist who won four federal commissions to complete post office murals, as part of the Section of Painting and Sculpture′s projects, later called the Section of F ...

won a federal commission to paint a

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

as part of the

Section of Painting and Sculpture The Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art project established on October 16, 1934, and administered by the Procurement Division of the United States Department of the Treasury. Commonly known as the Section, it was rena ...

′s projects, later called the

Section of Fine Arts The Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art project established on October 16, 1934, and administered by the Procurement Division of the United States Department of the Treasury. Commonly known as the Section, it was rena ...

, of the Treasury Department. ''Indiana Farming Scene in Late Autumn'' depicts a harvest scene on a farmstead, with no indication of the town. In 1975, the painting was featured as part of a film, ''Art for Main Street: The Indiana Post Office Murals'', produced by the

Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...

. Jasper was incorporated as a town in 1866, and was incorporated into a city in 1915.

Economy

Jasper is a regional center in

Southwestern Indiana Southwestern Indiana is an 11-county region of southern Indiana, United States located at the southernmost and westernmost part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the region's combined population is 474,251. Evansville, Indiana's third-largest ...

, noted for its heavily German Catholic ancestral roots. Jasper has often been called the "Wood Capital of the World", boasting many furniture companies, including

Kimball International Kimball International consists of furniture brands: Kimball, National, Interwoven, Etc., Poppin, D'Style and Kimball Hospitality. It is the successor to W.W. Kimball and Company, the world's largest piano and organ manufacturer at certain times in ...

and Masterbrand Cabinets. Jasper is home to the Southern Indiana Education Center (SIEC), Jasper Engines & Transmissions (largest re-manufacturer in the market), and to a satellite campus of

Vincennes University Vincennes University (VU) is a public college with its main campus in Vincennes, Indiana. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. VU was chartered in 1806 as the Indiana Territo ...

. In 2022, Jasper won the annual Strong Towns "Strongest Town" competition. The largest industry sectors by employment in Jasper are manufacturing, retail, and health care & social services.

Top employers

According to the Jasper Chamber of Commerce

Geography

Jasper is located at (38.391439, -86.930772), and is roughly: * 1 hour northeast of

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

. * 2 1/2 hours southwest of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. * 1 1/2 hours west of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. * 3 hours east of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. According to the 2010 census, Jasper has a total area of , of which (or 99.31%) is land and (or 0.69%) is water. The city is mainly in Bainbridge Township, although city limits also extend into

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

and Boone Townships.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Jasper, IN has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Jasper is the principal city of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Dubois and

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

counties and had a combined population of 54,734 at the 2010 census.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, the population of Jasper was 15,038 and there were 5,994 households. The gender makeup of the city is 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

Ethnicities

The racial makeup of the city was: * 93.6% white * 7.7%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

(of any race) * 0.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

* 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

* 0.2% Native American * 4.0% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

* 0.9% from two or more races.

Age

Of the total Jasper population: * 14.0% were 1-9 * 12.9% were 10-19 * 12.1% were 20-29 * 11.9% were 30-39 * 14.4% were 40-49 * 13.6% were 50-59 * 9.1% were 60-69 * 6.1% were 70-79 * 5.4% were 80 or older * Median age was 39.3 years. For males it was 36.9 years and for females, 41.6 years.

Income

* Overall median household income in Jasper is $53,968 * Median income for a family is $65,903 * Males had a median income of $37,432 * Females had a median income of $32,218 * The per capita income for the city is $28,540 * About 5.7% of families and 7.6% of the population are below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 and over.

Government

The following persons have held the office of mayor of Jasper, Indiana.

City parks

Jasper, Indiana has a total of 18 city parks covering 355 acres of land. *Beaver Lake *John Bohnert Park *Buehler Park *Centennial Park *Central Green *Church Avenue Park *Gutzweiler Park *Hochgesang Park *Jaycee Park *Camp Carnes *30th Street Park *Lions Riverview Park *Riverwalk/Dave Buehler Plaza *Robert E. Parker Park *Seng Park *State Police Park *Northwest Suburban *Uebelhor Park *Wood Capital Police Park

City infrastructure

U.S. Route 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US 41 ...

Indiana State Road 164 State Road 164 in the U.S. State of Indiana is a short east–west two-lane highway in the southwest portion of the state. Route description State Road 164 begins in downtown Jasper at the U.S. Route 231 and Courthouse Square intersection. ...

Indiana State Road 162 State Road 162 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a route in Dubois and Spencer counties. Though an even-numbered route, in practice it is a north–south route for most of its length. Route description State Road 162 begins at SR 62 in Ge ...

Indiana State Road 56 State Road 56 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a route that travels the south central part of the state from west to east. Route description The western terminus of SR 56 is near Hazleton at U.S. Route 41. SR 56 heads northeast to Hazl ...

Sister city

Jasper participates in the

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

program, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"� ...

, Inc. (SCI). *

Pfaffenweiler Pfaffenweiler (High Alemannic: ''Pfaffewiiler'') is a municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Around 1850, over 200 inhabitants of Pfaffenweiler emigrated to the United States, and set ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Arts and culture

Jasper boasts the only municipally supported Arts Council in the state of Indiana; it is part of city government and is supported by the city for its citizens in the same vein as its park board or its street department. The city of Jasper and the Jasper Community Arts Commission have won the Governor's Arts Award twice, once in 1987 and again in 2007, and it is the only group to have garnered this award twice. The Jasper Strassenfest is a four-day event held annually during the first weekend in August. The "Fest" is a celebration between Jasper and its German sister-city

, a small village in southwest

. Many citizens of Pfaffenweiler travel to Jasper around this time of year. The street festival encompasses the entire city square, complete with numerous food stands, rides, and a very large

Biergarten A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

. On average, over 1,300 pounds of

bratwurst Bratwurst () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German ''Brätwurst'', from ''brät-'', finely chopped meat, and ''Wurst'', sausage, although in modern German it is o ...

are consumed during the four-day event. The Strassenfest culminates in a Sunday parade and evening fireworks. The festival also incorporates a golf tournament, beauty pageant (Miss Strassenfest), box parade, fishing tournament, and a network of German "Polka Masses" at the three

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parishes: St. Joseph's, Holy Family, and Precious Blood. In January 2021, the new Thyen-Clark Cultural Center and public lending library opened.

In popular culture

The fictional town of Orson, Indiana, from the TV series '' The Middle'' is based on Jasper.

Media

Newspapers

Jasper has had several newspapers during its history. * The ''American Eagle'' was the town's first newspaper, and operated 1846–1848. * The ''Jasper Weekly Courier'', a Democratic newspaper, was one of the longest running newspapers in the town's history, serving Dubois County residents 1858–1921. * The ''Dubois County Herald'' has been published from 1895 to the present and circulates about 10,000 copies per day to residents of Dubois, Spencer, and

counties. The Herald is one of only 300 independently owned newspapers in the United States. * The ''Jasper News Journal'' is a newspaper found for free throughout the city that serves the city of Jasper. Other newspapers published in Jasper included the ''Democrat'' (1857), the ''Times'' (1865), and another ''Times'' (1879–1891).

Radio

The following stations are licensed in the city of Jasper * 91.7 FM WJPR * 93.7 FM WJWS "JHS The Scratch" * 104.7 FM WITZ-FM * 990 AM WITZ-AM

Education

In 1970, the school system of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, an unincorporated town west of Jasper along State Route 56, was consolidated into that of Jasper. * Jasper High School (public, grades 9 to 12) * Jasper Middle School (public 6 to 8) * Ireland Elementary School (public pre-K to 5) * Jasper Elementary School (public pre-K to 5) * Holy Trinity Catholic School ** West Campus at St. Mary's Ireland (private pre-K) ** Central Campus at Precious Blood (private pre K to 2) ** East Campus at Holy Family (private 3 to 8) * Vincennes University (Jasper Campus) The city has a free lending library, the Jasper-Dubois County Public Library. In January 2021, the library moved into a new building that it shares with the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.

Notable people

Mike Braun Michael Kent Braun (; born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Indiana since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 63rd district in the India ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and former member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

Daniel M. Buechlein Daniel Mark Buechlein, OSB (April 20, 1938 – January 25, 2018) was a Benedictine monk and an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee from 1987 until he was appoi ...

, former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Indianapolis *

Brad Ellsworth John Bradley Ellsworth (born September 11, 1958) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he was the Democratic candidate for a seat in the United States Senate, but he was defeated by Dan Coats, ...

, former member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

* Spike Gehlhausen, Indy car driver * Paul Hoffman, Purdue All-American,

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

NBA Champion The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Con ...

* Shane Lindauer, member of the Indiana House of Representatives *

Matt Mauck Matthew Ryan Mauck (born February 12, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans. He played college football at LSU Tigers football ...

, National Football League quarterback; led the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...

to the 2003 national championship *

Mark Messmer Mark B. Messmer is a Republican member of the Indiana State Senate, representing the Senate District 48 since November 19, 2014. Messmer is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing three terms for the 63rd district ...

, member of the

Indiana State Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

Frank W. Milburn Lieutenant General Frank William Milburn (January 11, 1892 – October 25, 1962) was a senior United States Army officer who served during World War II and the Korean War. Military career Milburn attended the United States Military Academy and ...

, World War II and Korean War general * Richard M. Milburn,

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

* Edith Pfau, artist *

Scott Rolen Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. He was an eight-t ...

, Major League Baseball player * Ralph K. Rottet, Lieutenant general, U.S. Marine Corps * William J. Schroeder, longest lived person on a

Jarvik-7 An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...

* Bernard V. Vonderschmitt, most noted as a co-founder of leading FPGA producer Xilinx. * Wilfrid Worland, Washington, D.C.–area architect * Zack Lichlyter, Almost caught a 2-point conversion in an 8th grade football game and the main character in HBO’s 2022 Hard Knocks

National Register of Historic Places

Jasper is home to 5 of 12 locations or buildings in Dubois County listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. * Dubois County Courthouse * Gramelspacher-Gutzweiler House * John Opel House * St. Joseph Catholic Church * Louis H. Sturm Hardware Store

References

External links

*
Jasper Chamber of Commerce

Vincennes University Jasper Campus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indiana, Jasper