Posey County, Indiana

Posey County is the southernmost, southwesternmost, and westernmost county in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its southern border is formed by the Ohio River, and its western border by the Wabash River, a tributary to the Ohio. As of 2020, the population was 25,222. The county seat is Mount Vernon. Posey County is part of the Evansville, Indiana metropolitan statistical area. The Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, on the Ohio River, is the seventh-largest inland port complex in the nation. Mechanization of dock technology has altered the number of workers at the port, but Posey County is still the seventh-largest internal port in the United States, based on tons of materials handled. Grain from the Midwest is among the products shipped.

History

After the American Revolutionary War, Posey County was originally considered part of the Northwest Territory, organized in 1787 by the new United States. As part of the Indiana Territory, it was organized in November 1814 from Gibson and Warrick counties. It was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Thomas Posey, who was then serving as Governor of the Territory. Mount Vernon was designated as the county seat in 1825. Its port on the Ohio River continues to be integral to the economy of the state and county.

Like other parts of southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Posey County was first settled by people from the Upper South, many of whom arrived via the Ohio River. Farming was the primary development at first. In the mid- to late 19th century, the county received many German immigrants. The river port had rougher areas of vice, and a higher population of single men, as was typical. African Americans were among the men who worked on ships and at the port.

Posey County was the site of the largest recorded lynching of African Americans in Indiana's history. In October 1878, a white mob lynched seven black men in the span of a few days. No one in the mob was prosecuted, and at each court session for the next three years, the prosecutor asked the judge to "set the case over to the next session". A grand jury was called to investigate the mob action, but with an election pending for the prosecuting attorney, no one was ever indicted. Following years of research, Posey County judge Jim Redwine wrote a novel, ''Judge Lynch!'' (2008), based on the events. Redwine sometimes lectures on the riot, inviting his audience to imagine how they would have acted and stressing the injustice done to the African Americans who were denied the right to a fair trial.

Geography

The low rolling hills of southwest Indiana are carved by drainages; the Black River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into the Wabash River north of New Harmony. Rush Creek drains the county's central portion, flowing westward to discharge into the Wabash in Harmonie State Park. The area is largely cleared and devoted to agriculture or urban use, although the drainages and lowlands are still wooded or brush-filled.''Posey County IN'' (Google Maps, accessed 23 August 2020)
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According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 97.67%) is land and (or 2.33%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Indiana is located on the Ohio River in Posey County, where the Wabash River flows into it, and Posey County's highest point ( ASL) is a small rise SSW from Saint Wendel, near the county's southeast corner.
Posey county lies at the tripoint of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

Adjacent counties

* White County, Illinois (west and northwest across intermittent sections of water and land boundaries)
* Gallatin County, Illinois (southwest also over intermittent sections of water and land boundaries)
* Gibson County (north and northeast)
* Union County, Kentucky (south, with some land boundaries on Indiana side)
* Vanderburgh County (east)
* Henderson County, Kentucky (southeast also with some land boundaries on Indiana side)

Cities and towns

* Cynthiana – town
* Griffin – town
* Mount Vernon – city/county seat
* New Harmony – town
* Poseyville – town

Townships

* Bethel
* Black
* Center
* Harmony
* Lynn
* Marrs
* Point
* Robb
* Robinson
* Smith

Unincorporated places

* Barrett
* Blairsville
* Bufkin
* Caborn
* Dead Mans Crossing
* Erwin
* Farmersville
* Grafton
* Hepburn
* Heusler
* Hovey
* Lippe
* Marrs Center
* New Baltimore
* Oak Grove
* Oliver
* Parkers Settlement – census-designated place
* Philip Station
* Prairie
* Rapture
* Saint Philip
* Saint Wendel
* Savah
* Solitude
* Springfield
* Stewartsville
* Upton
* Wadesville
* Welborn Switch
* West Franklin

Protected areas

* Harmonie State Park
* Wabash Lowlands Wetland Conservation Area

Transportation

Major highways

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Railroads

* CSX Transportation
* Evansville Western Railway

River ports

* Ports of Indiana-Mt. Vernon is "the 7th largest inland port omplexin the United States and serves as a major multi-modal hub for the region." It handles more than 4 million trip tons of cargo annually. Southwind Maritime Center is the name of a related port facility, now considered within the complex. This port facility is important to the economy of the state of Indiana as well as to Posey County. It handles shipping of grain, grain products, coal, fertilizer, cement and minerals, from a region that produces a large amount of grain. This is the largest public port within 175 miles of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Mount Vernon have ranged from a nighttime low of in January to a daytime high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in September to in May.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts of roughly equal population in the county. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is a three-person board of commissioners, who are elected at-large (county-wide), to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The court judge is elected to a four-year term and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable, who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: Other county elected offices include sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each serves a four-year term. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Politics

Posey County was a Democratic stronghold turned swing county during the 20th Century. Since the turn of the 21st Century, the county has swung heavily into the Republican column, with Donald Trump gaining over 70% of the vote in 2024. The last Democrat to obtain a full majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton narrowly carried the county by plurality in 1992 and 1996, largely due to a heavy third-party presence in both elections.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 25,910 people, 10,171 households, and 7,442 families in the county. The population density was . There were 11,207 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.2% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.6% were German, 13.6% were American, 11.6% were Irish, and 11.2% were English.

Of the 10,171 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.8% were non-families, and 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 41.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $68,722. Males had a median income of $55,786 versus $32,747 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,727. About 6.0% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The county has two school districts: Mount Vernon Metropolitan School District and North Posey County Schools Metropolitan School District.

Public high schools
* Mount Vernon High School – Mount Vernon
* North Posey High School – Poseyville address

Previously New Harmony Town and Township Consolidated Schools covered a portion of the county. The district closed in 2012 and consolidated into North Posey County Schools.

Tourism and recreation

* Posey County Stockyard
* Visit Posey County
* Brittlebank Park – Mount Vernon
* Harmonie State Park – New Harmony
* Hovey Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area – Mount Vernon
* New Harmony Historic District – New Harmony
* Sherburne Park – Mount Vernon

Representation in other media

* Posey County Judge James M. Redwine wrote a novel, ''Judge Lynch!'' (2008), based on the 1878 lynchings of seven African-American men in Mt. Vernon.Barry Cleveland, "Seven killed in Posey County violence"
''Carmi Times'', February 7, 2011; accessed May 31, 2018James M. Redwine, ''Judge Lynch!'', AuthorHouse, 2008
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See also

* Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival – Griffin, Indiana.
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Posey County, Indiana

References

External links

Official website

{{Coord, 38.02, -87.86, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IN_source:UScensus1990

Indiana counties
1814 establishments in Indiana Territory
Populated places established in 1814
Indiana counties on the Ohio River
Evansville metropolitan area
Southwestern Indiana