Vevay ( ) is a town located in Jefferson Township 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 ...

of Switzerland County,

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 ...

, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.

History

The first settlers who arrived in 1802 were Swiss immigrants intending on cultivating grapes and producing wine. It was named after the Swiss town of

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district ...

. The town was platted in 1813. When Switzerland County was formed in 1814, Vevay was made the county seat. The Vevay post office has been in operation since 1816. The community was incorporated as a town in 1836. Vevay collected a reputation of being home to the first commercial winery in the United States; However, the first certified commercial winery was established in Nicholasville, Kentucky in 1799 by Swiss immigrant John Dufour. The Edward and George Cary Eggleston House, Old Hoosier Theatre, Benjamin Schenck Mansion, and Switzerland County Courthouse 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 artist ...

Geography

Vevay is located at (38.745837, -85.071044), along the Ohio River and

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 Ha ...

156 Year 156 ( CLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silvanus and Augurinus (or, less frequently, year 909 '' Ab urbe co ...

. According to the 2010 census, Vevay has a total area of , of which (or 93.73%) is land and (or 6.27%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to 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, nota ...

system, Vevay has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 1,683 people, 725 households, and 393 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was . There were 826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 725 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% 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, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the town was 40.8 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% 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

of 2000, there were 1735 people, 719 households, and 437 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 795 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.67%

, 0.23%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 719 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were

living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,448, and the median income for a family was $32,857. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $20,167 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 $15,477. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% 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 ...

, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary schools

* Jeff-Craig Elementary School

Middle schools

* Switzerland Middle School

High schools

Switzerland County Senior High School Switzerland County High School is a public high school located in Vevay, Indiana. History The doors of the school were opened in 1968 with the consolidation of the Patriot Trojans and Vevay Warriors. It was established in 1969 Athletics Switz ...

Others

The town has a lending library, the Switzerland County Public Library.

Arts and culture

The Swiss Wine Festival

Vevay holds an annual celebration called the Swiss Wine Festival. It is usually held on the last weekend in August, as well as the preceding Thursday and Friday. The festival has many fun activities such as ferry rides on the Ohio River, amusement rides, pageants, car shows, musical performances, cheerleading competitions, the famed grape stomps, and both Beer and Wine Gardens. Many people also set up booths for shopping. On Saturday night, most gather on the docks and close to the river to watch a fireworks show. People from all over the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio tristate come to enjoy the festive celebration. This festival was first celebrated in the 1970s and soon became the most adored tradition of the locals.

Origin

Since 1797, approximately every 22 years, ''la Fête des Vignerons'' (''The Winegrowers' Festival'') is celebrated in the Swiss city of

Points of interest

*"Life on the Ohio" River History Museum reflects Vevay's and Switzerland County's heritage on the Ohio River. Open year-round (excluding major holidays) Sunday - Saturday from 10 - 5. *Switzerland County Historical Museum is located in an old Presbyterian church, built in 1860. Open year-round (excluding major holidays) Saturday - Sunday from 10 - 5. *The first Switzerland County Courthouse was built in 1822 and is listed on the

. It was replaced by the one that stands today in 1865, built by contractor John Haley. *The Benjamin Franklin Schenck Mansion is a 35-room mansion, built in 1874 by Benjamin Franklin Schenck *The U.P. Schenck House was built in 1846 for Ulysses P. Schenck, a Swiss riverboat captain who owned a fleet of flat bottom river boats. *The Armstrong Tavern is a two-story log house built in 1816 by Thomas Armstrong. *The Hoosier Theatre was built in 1837 and is listed on the

Notable people

Lydia Moss Bradley Lydia Moss Bradley (July 31, 1816 – January 16, 1908) was a wealthy bank president and philanthropist notable for her philanthropic works. She founded Bradley Polytechnic Institute in Peoria, Illinois, in 1897. Earlier life Lydia Moss ...

, philanthropist and founder of

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

* Ebenezer Dumont, Civil War general and U.S. Congressman *

Julia Louisa Dumont Julia Louisa Dumont (October 1794 – January 2, 1857) was an American educator and writer of prose. Born in the U.S. state of Ohio, she resided for 43 years at Vevay, Indiana. She is remembered as the first Hoosier to become known beyond the State ...

(1794-1857), educator and writer * Edward Eggleston, Methodist minister and author * George Cary Eggleston, author, editor, Civil War Historian, and brother to Edward Eggleston. *

Bertha Fry American supercentenarians are citizens or residents of the United States who have attained or surpassed 110 years of age. , the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 782 American supercentenarians. As of , it lis ...

supercentenarian A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases ...

, born in Vevay in 1893, died in 2007 at age 113 years, 11 months, 13 days (third oldest living person at the time of death) *

Ken Maynard Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western stars in Hollywood. Maynard was also an occasional screenwrit ...

, actor and stuntman *

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were ...

, actor and stuntman, played for Indiana University Football 1920s, Ken Maynard's younger brother. *

Will Henry Stevens Will Henry Stevens (November 28, 1881 – August 25, 1949) was an American modernist painter and naturalist. Stevens is known for his paintings and tonal pastels depicting the rural Southern landscape, abstractions of nature, and non-objective ...

, artist *

E. S. L. Thompson E. S. L. Thompson (, Elizabeth Shepherd Lamb; August 7, 1848 – April 25, 1944) was an American writer of prose and verse. In addition to poetry, short stories, plays, and an opera, her greatest success was in the area of children's literature, ...

(1848-1944), writer * Kat Von D, tattoo artist

In popular culture

The 1975 TV Movie '' A Girl Named Sooner'' was set in and filmed in and around Vevay in the summer of 1974.

References

External links

Town website
{{Authority control Towns in Switzerland County, Indiana Towns in Indiana County seats in Indiana Populated places established in 1802 Indiana populated places on the Ohio River 1802 establishments in Indiana Territory