Matthews is a town in
Jefferson Township,
Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
*Grant County, Arkansas
*Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
*Grant County, Minnesota
*Grant County, Nebraska
*Grant C ...
,
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, along the
Mississinewa River
The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is long and is the third largest tributary behind the White and Little Wabash Rivers, only slightly larger t ...
. The population was 596 at the
2010 census.
Geography
Matthews is located at (40.387048, -85.495930).
According to the 2010 census, Matthews has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
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, there were 596 people, 234 households, and 166 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 254 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 0.2%
Native American, and 1.0% from two or more races.
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 ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.2% of the population.
There were 234 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.1% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the town was 40.6 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 595 people, 243 households, and 178 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 656.4/km
2 (1,707.7/mi
2). There were 259 housing units at an average density of 285.7/km
2 (743.3/mi
2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.99%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.17%
Native American, and 0.84% from two or more races.
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 ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.17% of the population.
![Matthews-indiana-from-above](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Matthews-indiana-from-above.jpg)
There were 243 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,125, and the median income for a family was $40,139. Males had a median income of $29,911 versus $23,214 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $17,283. About 4.5% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
Matthews was founded in 1895 and named in honor of then-governor
Claude Matthews
Claude Matthews (December 14, 1845 – August 28, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 23rd governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1893 to 1897. A farmer, he was nominated to prevent the loss of voters to the Populist Party ...
. Founders located the town near the center of the
Trenton Gas Field
The Trenton Gas Field is located in east central Indiana and the most western portion of west central Ohio. The field was discovered in 1876, but the size and magnitude of the field was not known until the 1880s. The field was the largest natural g ...
, and it was hoped that this geographically central location could become the future capital of
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 ...
, moving it from
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 ...
, which had been laid out for that specific reason less than one hundred years earlier in 1825. The plan was abandoned in 1903 when the gas field was depleted, leaving the town with a main street unusually wide for its size.
Matthews was placed near an older village called New Cumberland, founded in 1833. Now the "old town" of Matthews, the village has a wooden covered bridge, the
Cumberland Covered Bridge, built in 1877 which crosses the
Mississinewa River
The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is long and is the third largest tributary behind the White and Little Wabash Rivers, only slightly larger t ...
. This bridge is the centerpiece of the town's annual festival and draws thousands of people every year.
Historic sites
The
Cumberland Covered Bridge was built in 1877, and is 181 feet (55 m) long. It was originally named the New Cumberland Bridge and was built by a man named William Parks. It was flooded 0.5 miles (80 km) down the Mississinewa River in the 1913 flood. It was brought back on logs rolled by horses. The foundation was raised 33 feet (10 m) and has been stable since. It was 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 ...
in 1978.
Education
The town has a lending library, the Matthews Public Library.
References
{{authority control
Towns in Indiana
Towns in Grant County, Indiana