Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash 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 sove ...

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 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city 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 Wabash County. Wabash is notable as claiming to be the first electrically lighted city in the world, which was inaugurated on March 31, 1880. However, closer inspection of the reference shows only the court house grounds were lighted. It is also home to the historic

Eagles Theatre The Historic Eagles Theatre is located at 106 W Market Street in the city of Wabash, Indiana Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county s ...

, Paradise Spring Treaty Grounds (1826), the

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

, Presbyterian Church (1880), and Disciples of Christ Christian Church (1865).

Geography

Wabash is located at (40.800799, -85.827163). The

Wabash river The Wabash River ( French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows fro ...

runs through the town, on its way towards

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, where it splits creating a series of islands, and where the sandbars are quite common on this stretch. According to the 2010 census, Wabash has a total area of , of which (or 97.39%) is land and (or 2.61%) is water.

Climate

History

The town of Wabash was platted in the spring of 1834 by Col. Hugh Hanna and Col. David Burr. The name Wabash derives from a

Miami-Illinois Miami-Illinois (endonym: , ) also known as Irenwa, or Irenwe is an indigenous Algonquian language spoken in the United States, primarily in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, western Ohio and adjacent areas along the Mississippi River by the Miami a ...

term for "water over white stones." The Wabash post office has been in operation since 1839.Hay, p. 26 The Miami name reflected the clarity of the river in Huntington County, Indiana where the river bottom is

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. Wabash used a new type of

carbon arc light An arc lamp or arc light is a lamp that produces light by an electric arc (also called a voltaic arc). The carbon arc light, which consists of an arc between carbon electrodes in air, invented by Humphry Davy in the first decade of the 1800s, ...

invented by

Charles Brush Charles Francis Brush (March 17, 1849 – June 15, 1929) was an American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Biography Brush was born in Euclid Township, Ohio to Isaac Elbert Brush and Delia Williams Phillips. Isaac Brush ...

in 1870. On March 31, 1880, four 3,000-candle power lamps were suspended from the top of the courthouse. Two telegraph wires ran from the lamps to the courthouse basement, where they were connected to a generator powered by a 12-horsepower steam engine to provide power The James M. Amoss Building,

Downtown Wabash Historic District Downtown Wabash Historic District, also known as the Wabash Marketplace District, is a national historic district located at Wabash, Wabash County, Indiana. It encompasses 27 contributing buildings in the central business district of Wabash. ...

, East Wabash Historic District,

First Christian Church Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...

, Honeywell Memorial Community Center, Honeywell Studio, McNamee-Ford House, North Wabash Historic District,

West Wabash Historic District West Wabash Historic District is a national historic district located at Wabash, Wabash County, Indiana. It encompasses 283 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Wabash. It developed between about 1840 and 1930, and ...

, and Solomon Wilson Building 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 ...

Media

The Wabash Free Trader was published in Wabash from 1871 to 1876. The Wabash Weekly Courier was published from 1876 until 1887.

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 10,666 people, 4,465 households, and 2,805 families living in the city. 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 5,068 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.6% 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 ...

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 2.0% of the population. There were 4,465 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41.3 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 11,743 people, 4,799 households, and 3,100 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.85%

, 0.37%

, 1.06% Native American, 0.51%

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.41% from

, and 0.77% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 4,799 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% 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 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $12,000, and the median income for a family was $14000. Males had a median income of $18000 versus $12,000 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 city was $18,210. About 7.9% of families and 9.3% 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 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town has a lending library, the Wabash Carnegie Public Library.

Image gallery

File:Cortes del Condado de Wabash, Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 01.jpg, Wabash County Courthouse File:Wabash Indiana Paradise Springs Council Cabin.JPG, Paradise Spring Treaty Grounds (1826) File:Wabash Indiana Old Warehouse Wabash n Erie Canal.JPG, Old Warehouse, which backs up on the

File:Wabash Indiana Presbyterian Church.JPG, Presbyterian Church (1880) File:Iglesia de Cristo, Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 01.jpg, Disciples of Christ Christian Church (1865) Centro de Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 08.jpg, Former fire station and city hall.

Notable people

* Michael Baber - music and sound editor *

Adelaide Steele Baylor Adelaide Steele Baylor (October 14, 1860 – December 18, 1935) was an American educator and school administrator. She was chief of the Home Economics Education Service in the United States Office of Education from 1923 to 1935. Early life and ...

- federal education official * Loren M. Berry – pioneer of

Yellow Pages The yellow pages are telephone directories of businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for ...

telephone directory * Dr. Rick Brandenburg – entomologist * John W. Corso – art director and production designer * John P. Costas - telecommunications engineer, noted for

Costas loop A Costas loop is a phase-locked loop (PLL) based circuit which is used for carrier frequency recovery from suppressed-carrier modulation signals (e.g. double-sideband suppressed carrier signals) and phase modulation signals (e.g. BPSK, QPSK). It w ...

* James E. Dabler - Illinois state representative and businessman *

Jimmy Daywalt Jimmy Daywalt (August 28, 1924 – April 4, 1966) was an American racecar driver. Born in Wabash, Indiana, he drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953–1957, 1959, and 1961–1962 seasons with 20 starts. He fi ...

– race car driver *

Charles Dingle Charles Dingle (December 28, 1887 – January 19, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early life Dingle was born December 28, 1887, in Wabash, Indiana. His father was John Crockett Dingle, and he was said to be a descendant of Davy ...

- actor *

Gus Dorais Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais (July 2, 1891 – January 3, 1954) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. Dorais played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913 at quarterback ...

– football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball * Crystal Gayle - country singer *

Mark Honeywell Mark Charles Honeywell (December 29, 1874 – September 13, 1964) was an American electronics industrialist. He co-initiated the eponymous corporation Honeywell and was its first president and CEO (1927–1933). Early years and marriage Honeywe ...

– founder of

Honeywell Corporation Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance mat ...

and

Honeywell Center The Honeywell Center in downtown Wabash, Indiana, United States, is located southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It's a block-long arts complex featuring the Ford Theater, Clark Gallery, and Eugenia's Restaurant. The Ford Theater presents Broadway, ...

Howard A. Howe Howard Atkinson Howe (July 29, 1901 – December 22, 1976) was an American physician, whose work at the Johns Hopkins medical institutions helped to lay the groundwork for the Salk polio vaccine. Early years and education A native of Wabash, Indi ...

- polio researcher * O. P. Hubbard - member of the Alaska Senate (1915-1919). * Bobby Jones – National Football League guard *

Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller (; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller (), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He is nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about which h ...

- poet and frontiersman * George Mullin - Major League Baseball player, nicknamed "Wabash George" *

Keith O'Conner Murphy Keith O'Conner Murphy (Keith Murphy) is an American songwriter, singer and recording artist. His contributions to the rockabilly genre of rock and roll music were recognized in 2002 when he was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He is a ...

- Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer and songwriter *

Margie Stewart Margie Stewart (December 14, 1919 – April 26, 2012) was the official United States Army poster girl during World War II. She appeared on twelve posters, of which a total of 94 million copies were distributed. She was born in Wabash, Ind ...

- U.S. Army poster girl during World War II

References

External links

City of Wabash, Indiana website
{{authority control Cities in Indiana Micropolitan areas of Indiana Cities in Wabash County, Indiana County seats in Indiana 1834 establishments in Indiana