Versailles is a town in
Johnson Township,
Ripley County, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
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 ...
. The population was 2,113 at the
2010 census. The town is 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 Ripley County.
History
It was decided in 1818 a county seat should be located at Versailles. The town of Versailles was laid out in 1819. It was named after the
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
.
A post office has been in operation at Versailles since 1823.
The
Ripley County Courthouse,
Fernando G. Taylor House,
Tyson United Methodist Church
Tyson United Methodist Church, also known as Versailles United Methodist Church, is a historic Methodist church located at Versailles, Ripley County, Indiana. It was built in 1937, and is a two-story, Art Deco style church building sheathed in ...
, and
Versailles School and Tyson Auditorium
The Versailles School and Tyson Auditorium is a historic school and auditorium located at Versailles, Ripley County, Indiana. The school was built in 1938, and is a two-story, flat roofed Art Deco style building. The auditorium was added in 195 ...
are 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 ...
.
Geography
Versailles is located at (39.067624, -85.255026).
According to the 2010 census, Versailles has a total area of , all land.
Laughery Creek
Laughery Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 19, 2017 stream that flows through Ripley, Dearborn, and Ohio counties in southeastern Indiana, and is a tr ...
is the major stream in the area, and was dammed in 1954 to form 230-acre Versailles Lake, within the
Versailles State Park
Versailles State Park (pronounced locally as ''ver-SAYLES'') is an Indiana state park, near the town of Versailles, Indiana in Ripley County. The land was given by the National Park Service for use as a state park to Indiana's Department of Con ...
.
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 2,113 people, 874 households, and 538 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 999 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2%
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 ...
, 0.2%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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 ...
, 0.1% 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 ...
, and 1.2% 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 0.4% of the population.
There were 874 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% 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, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.95.
The median age in the town was 37.9 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% 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 1,784 people, 746 households, and 492 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 803 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.82%
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 ...
, 0.06%
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 ...
, 0.45%
Native American, 0.17%
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 ...
, 0.11% 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 ...
, and 0.39% 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 0.50% of the population.
There were 746 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,144, and the median income for a family was $41,442. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $22,237 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 $17,352. About 8.3% of families and 8.7% 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 9.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Most students in Versailles atten
South Ripley Elementary Schoolfor grades K through 6 and
South Ripley Junior/Senior High School for grades 7 through 12.
The town has a lending library, the Tyson Public Library.
Notable people
*
Amos W. Jackson (1904-1972), judge and resident of Versailles
*
Rowland H. Jackson (1872-1957), politician and resident of Versailles
*
Harry Wheeler, 19th Century baseball
References
External links
Town of Versailles
{{authority control
Towns in Ripley County, Indiana
Towns in Indiana
County seats in Indiana