Tipton County, Indiana
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Tipton County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located north of the state capital 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 ...
. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 15,936, a decrease of 3.9% from its 2000 population of 16,577. Its county seat is Tipton. The county has four incorporated towns with a total population of about 7,000, as well as many small unincorporated communities. It is divided into six townships which provide local services. Three Indiana state roads and one U.S. Route cross the county, as do two railroad lines. Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1844, one of the last Indiana counties to be settled. Tipton and
Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
Counties were established by the same legislative action on January 15.


History

Prior to the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the 1830s, the area of Tipton County was inhabited by the Miami and Delaware tribes. Tipton County was formed in 1844. It was named for John Tipton, a soldier of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Tipton served as United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 until shortly before his death in 1839. The first
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
in the county occurred in October 1851. Harvey Moon killed Andrew Hornbeck with a knife. Moon was tried in Indianapolis, as a jury could not be empaneled in Tipton County. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He escaped prison and was not recaptured.


Courthouse

The first Tipton County Courthouse was a two-story frame building. It was planned in early 1845 and was completed by the end of the year at a cost of about $1200. It was expanded the following year. By 1858 a new courthouse was needed, and the brick building was completed by 1859 at a cost of approximately $15,000. The present courthouse was designed by Adolph Sherrer. He had taken over the Indiana Statehouse project when architect Edwin May died in 1880; five years after the completion of that project in 1888, Scherrer began work on the Tipton building, which was built of sandstone in a Romanesque style with a clock tower of 206 feet elevation including the flagstaff on top. It was built 1893-94 by Pierce and Morgan of Indianapolis at a cost of $170,988. It is one of several Romanesque courthouses dating from the 1890s that are still in use.


Geography

Tipton County falls near the center of Indiana. Most of the county consists of level
till plain Till plains are an extensive flat plain of glacial till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place, depositing the sediments it carried. Ground moraines are formed with melts out of the glacie ...
with elevations from to above sea level. Prior to settlement by non-indigenous people, it was mostly covered with dense forests consisting of oak, beech, maple, walnut, hickory, sycamore and tulip trees. The southern part of the county has better natural drainage, and this area was first cleared for agriculture. Much of the rest of the county tended to be swampy due to the level ground and lack of sufficient natural waterways, so drainage channels had to be dug to make the land suitable for farming. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.99%) is land and (or 0.01%) is water.


Adjacent counties

*
Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, s ...
– west * Grant County - northeast * Hamilton County – south * Howard County – north and northwest * Madison County – east and southeast


Incorporated communities

* Tipton – the county seat, near the county center. Its 2010 population was 5,106. * Kempton – near the western border, in Jefferson Township. Its 2010 population was 335. * Sharpsville – near the northern border, in Liberty Township. Its 2010 population was 607. * Windfall City - in northeast corner of the county, in Wildcat Township. Its 2010 population was 708. The city of
Elwood Elwood may refer to any one of the following:: Places ;In Australia *Elwood, Victoria ;In the United States of America *Elwood, Illinois *Elwood, Indiana *Elwood, Kansas * Elwood, Missouri *Elwood, Nebraska * Elwood-Magnolia, New Jersey *Elwood, N ...
lies in Madison County to the east and extends slightly over the border; as of the 2000 census, seven Elwood residents lived in Tipton County.


Unincorporated communities

* Curtisville * East Union *
Ekin Ekin is a unisex Turkish given name. And may refer to: Given name *Ekin Deligöz, German politician of Turkish descent *Ekin Cheng, Hong Kong singer and actor *Ekin Tunçay Turan, Turkish stage actress and translator *Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, English ...
* Goldsmith * Groomsville * Hobbs * Jackson * Nevada * New Lancaster * Normanda * Tetersburg * West Elwood


Townships

* Cicero *
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
* Liberty *
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 ...
* Prairie * Wildcat


Climate and weather

Tipton County is in the humid continental climate region of the United States along with most of Indiana. Its Köppen climate classification is Dfa, meaning that it is cold, has no dry season, and has a hot summer. In recent years, average temperatures in Tipton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. From 1950 through 2009, 13 tornadoes were reported in Tipton County, resulting in two deaths and several injuries; the total estimated property damage was over $3 million.


Demographics

As of the
2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, there were 15,936 people, 6,376 households, and 4,517 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,998 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
, 14.5% were
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
, 12.3% were English, and 9.6% were Irish. Of the 6,376 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 42.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $61,115. Males had a median income of $42,763 versus $29,832 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,499. About 3.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Tipton County's economy is supported by a labor force of about 7700 workers with an unemployment rate in December 2015 of 3.8%.


Agriculture

Historically, Tipton County's economy has been agriculturally based. In 1914, the county had 2,067 working farms and 166,400 acres of farm land. The early settlers raised corn, wheat, oats, rye,
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
, and potatoes, with alfalfa in the prairie areas. Fruit was profitable in the county before 1880, but blight lessened yield and fruit growing nearly halted. The Tipton County Agricultural Society was organized in August 1855. They held the first county
fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
that October. It was described as a "failure," and was followed by another unsuccessful fair the following year. That organization was dissolved, another formed, only to be dissolved again. A third organization, the Tipton County Joint-Stock Agricultural Society formed in 1874. That organization eventually failed and finally, the Tipton County Fair Company was formed in 1879. By the early 20th century, corn and wheat were primary crops.


Banking

Vickrey Bank, founded in the 1880s, was the county's first bank. It became Union Bank, and later Farmers Loan and Trust. In 1876, the Tipton County Bank was founded. It merged with First National Bank in 1902. Other county banks included Citizens National Bank (1898), Farmers Loan and Trust Company (1906), People's State Bank (1892), Sharpsville Bank (1902), and State Bank of Kempton (1900). None of these banks exists today. Farmers' State Bank was formed in 1914 and remains in business today as First Farmers Bank & Trust.


Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the
Constitution of Indiana The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is su ...
and the Indiana Code. The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget and special spending. The council also 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. A board of commissioners forms the county's executive body. They are elected county–wide, in four–year staggered terms. One commissioner serves as board president. The board executes the acts legislated by the council, collects revenue, and manages the day-to-day running of county government. The county maintains a small claims court for civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. The county has several other elected offices, including
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
,
coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
, auditor, treasurer,
recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
,
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
and circuit
court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...
. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and be residents of the county. Each township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties. The trustee is assisted by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms. Tipton County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 20 and 21; and
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 ...
districts 32 and 35.


Education


History

In 1889, county schools had a total enrollment of 6,225. There were a total of 84 schools across the county. The majority of teachers were male, totaling 81 male and 19 female teachers. They were paid approximately $2 per day. By 1914, the school enrollment totaled 3,701 students, with 65 schools across the county. There were five high schools located across the township in Sharpsville, Tipton, Kempton, Goldsmith and Windfall. There were 218 teachers. They were paid $3.19 a day.


Present

Tipton County has six schools, managed by three school corporations. The Tipton Community School Corporation includes an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located in Tipton; these schools served a total of 1,821 students during the 2009–2010 school year. In the north part of the county, Tri-Central Community Schools (formerly Northern Community Schools) includes an elementary school and
Tri-Central Middle/High School Tri-Central Middle/High School is a four-year public high school located in Sharpsville, Indiana, in an unincorporated community approximately 9.2 miles northwest of Tipton, Indiana. The school was created by the merger of Windfall High School ...
, both located in Sharpsville; these schools served a total of 970 students in 2009–2010. Saint John the Baptist School was located in Tipton and was part of the Diocese of Lafayette Catholic Schools; it was an elementary school and served 82 students during the 2009–2010 school year., but it closed in 2014 due to declining enrollment.


Media

The county's first newspaper was the ''Tipton County Democrat'' in 1855. It became the ''Western Dominion'' in 1857. In 1858, G.W. Fisher bought the paper and changed its name to the ''Tipton County Times.'' The paper's name was changed again in 1862 to the ''Democratic Union,'' and then back to the ''Tipton County Times'' in 1869. The ''Tipton Republican'' was founded in 1860. The newspaper closed when the editor in chief joined the Union Army. Other early newspapers included the ''Enterprise'' (1872), the ''Tipton Advance,'' (1874), a second ''Tipton Republican'' (1876), ''The Advocate'' (1878), the ''Windfall Herald'' (1891), the ''Kempton Courier'' (1907), the ''Saturday Express'' (1882), and the ''Windfall News'' (1876). None of these papers exists today. The '' Tipton County Tribune'' was founded in 1895. The paper continues to be published today.


Transportation


Highways

*
US Route 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Its ...
– runs north–south through the middle–western part of the county, passing through Tetersburg. * State Road 19 – runs north–south through the middle of the county, passing through Tipton. * State Road 28 – runs east–west through the lower central part of the county, passing through Tipton. * State Road 213 – runs north–south through the middle–eastern part of the county, passing through Windfall. Though they do not run through the county, three other state roads touch its southeastern corner: * State Road 13 – runs north to the SE corner of Tipton County, then NE to Elwood, in Madison County. * State Road 37 – runs concurrently with State Road 13 in this area running toward Elwood. * State Road 128 – intersects State Road 13/31 at the SE corner of Tipton County.


Railroads

Two
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
routes run through the county. One line connects Muncie in the east with Frankfort in the west. The other connects Logansport and Kokomo in the north with Indianapolis in the south. The two lines intersect in Tipton.


Notable people from Tipton County

* Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams (1882–1968) – born in Tipton. Baseball player (pitcher) for Saint Louis Cardinals (1906) and
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
(1907–1926). *
John Bunch John Bunch (December 1, 1921 – March 30, 2010) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Born and raised in Tipton, Indiana, a small farming community, Bunch studied piano with George Johnson, a Hoosier jazz pianist. By the age of 14, he ...
(1921–2010) – born in Tipton. Jazz pianist with Woody Herman,
Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
and
Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...
. Music composer. *
Donald Bertrand Tresidder Donald Bertrand Tresidder (April 7, 1894 – January 28, 1948) was the fourth president of Stanford University, serving from 1943 until his sudden death in 1948. He also had a longtime association with Yosemite National Park. Early life Son of Jo ...
(April 7, 1894 – January 28, 1948) was the president of Stanford University from 1943 until 1948 and brought the school through the difficult years of World War II. Prior to his work at Stanford, he headed the Yosemite Park and Curry Co.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tipton County, Indiana __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Tipton County, Indiana. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tipton County, Indian ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * Pershing, Marvin W. "History of Tipton County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions". Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen (1914).


External links


Tipton County website

Tipton County website on Indiana State link

Tipton County information & community website

Tipton County Chamber of Commerce

The Dunham House, located in Kempton, Tipton County
{{Coord, 40.31, -86.05, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IN_source:UScensus1990 Indiana counties 1844 establishments in Indiana Kokomo, Indiana metropolitan area