Carroll County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located 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 ...
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 ...
. As of the
2010 United States Census, the population was 20,155.
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 ...
is
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracl ...
.
Carroll County is part of the
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, Indiana, West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home t ...
,
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
History
In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the
Northwest Territory, which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the
Indiana Territory
The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...
.
[ President ]Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...
chose William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
as the territory's first governor, and Vincennes
Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attach ...
was established as the territorial capital. After the Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroi ...
was separated and the Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. It ...
was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. By December 1816 the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state.
Starting in 1794, Native American titles to Indiana lands were extinguished by usurpation, purchase, or war and treaty. The United States acquired land from the Native Americans in the treaty of St. Mary's in 1818, which included most of the future county, and in 1826 the Treaty of Mississinewas
The Treaty of Mississinewas or the Treaty of Mississinewa also called Treaty of the Wabash is an 1826 treaty between the United States and the Miami and Potawatomi Tribes regarding purchase of Indian lands in Indiana and Michigan. The signing was ...
made more area available for settlement. These two treaties resolved the occupation issue for the future Carroll County.
Whites had been living in the future Carroll County area since 1824[ and their numbers increased rapidly in the next few years. Accordingly, Carroll County was authorized by the state legislature on 17 January 1828; it was named for Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the ]Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of ...
, who died in 1832. The first commissioners began organizing the county government on 28 April of that year, and determined to site the county seat at land donated by William Wilson. The name 'Carrollton' was first suggested for the new community, but at the suggestion of General Samuel Milroy, 'Delphi' was selected instead.[
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 t ...
, built through the county in 1840 and operating until the early 1870s, is among the county's most significant historical legacies.
Courthouse
The first county courthouse was built in 1831. It was replaced by a brick structure in 1856. The 730-pound bell from the first courthouse was made in Cincinnati in 1836 and given by Sheriff Samuel Davis Gresham, and was used in the second courthouse until 1916. While the bell was in transit to Lafayette by boat, the boat sank. The bell was recovered from the Ohio River, and was sold, but was returned to Carroll County in 1967.
The current Carroll County courthouse was designed by Jaxson Cowell of Indianapolis, who also designed the Spencer County courthouse. It was constructed by A. E. Kemmer at a cost of about $250,000 from 1916 to 1917. The exterior is understated, but the interior is surprisingly elaborate, including a stained glass dome over a mosaic tile floor.
Geography
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 from ...
flows southwestward from Cass County through the upper part of Carroll County, exiting into Tippecanoe County. The Tippecanoe River
The Tippecanoe River ( ) is a gentle, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 river in the Central Corn Belt Plains ecoregion in northern Indiana. It flows from Croo ...
flows southward through the county's upper west edge, also exiting into Tippecanoe County, where it merges with the Wabash shortly after leaving Carroll County's border. Wildcat Creek drains the south part of Carroll County, flowing westward into Tippecanoe to merge with the Wabash there.
The terrain of Carroll County was heavily wooded at the start, but now the flat areas are cleared and devoted to agriculture or urban development, with only the drainage areas still wooded. The highest point on the terrain ( ASL) is the county's SE corner.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.25%) is land and (or 0.75%) is water.[
]
Adjacent counties
* Cass County − northeast
* Howard County − east
* 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, ...
− south
* Tippecanoe County − southwest
* White County − northwest
City
* Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracl ...
(county seat)
Towns
* Burlington
* Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
* Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
* Yeoman
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
Unincorporated communities
* Adams Mill
Adams Mill is a historic grist mill located at Democrat Township, Carroll County, Indiana. It was built in 1845–1846, and is a -story, rectangular frame building. It measures approximately 45 feet by 50 feet, has a gable roof, and rests on a ...
* Bringhurst
* Burrows
* Carrollton
* Cutler
A cutler is a maker of cutlery.
Cutler may also refer to:
People
* Cutler (surname)
* Cutler J. Cleveland, scientist
Geography U.K.
*Cutlers Ait, island in the River Thames
* Cutler Heights, district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
*Cutler ...
* Deer Creek
* Lexington
* Lockport
* Ockley
Ockley is a rural village in Surrey. It lies astride the A29, the modern road using the alignment of Stane Street (Chichester). The A29 diverges from the A24 from London about 2.5 miles northeast and takes the alignment of Stane Street a mile n ...
* Owasco
* Patton
* Pittsburg
* Prince William
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was educa ...
* Pyrmont
* Radnor
* Rockfield
* Sharon
Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname.
In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
* Sleeth
* Terrace Bay
* Wheeling
Townships
* Adams
Adams may refer to:
* For persons, see Adams (surname)
Places United States
*Adams, California
*Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California
*Adams, Decatur County, Indiana
*Adams, Kentucky
*Adams, Massachusetts, a New England town ...
* Burlington
* Carrollton
* Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...
* Deer Creek
* Democrat
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
* 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 ...
* Monroe
* Rock Creek
* Tippecanoe
* Washington
Major highways
* U.S. Route 421
* Indiana State Road 18
* Indiana State Road 22
State Road 22 (SR 22) is an east–west discontinuous state road in the central part of the US state of Indiana. The western end of the western segment is in the town of Burlington, at SR 29. The highway passes through rural areas of Carroll ...
* Indiana State Road 25
State Road 25 is a highway in the U. S. state of Indiana. Although it is designated a north–south road, in practice it travels generally northeast from its southern terminus at State Road 32 (south of Waynetown and north of Shades State ...
* Indiana State Road 29
* Indiana State Road 39
State Road 39 in the U.S. State of Indiana is the name of two distinct north–south highways in the state of Indiana.
Route description
Southern section
Located in south-central Indiana, the shorter southern section of State Road 39 begins a ...
* Indiana State Road 75
State Road 75, the highest two-digit route in the U.S. state of Indiana consists of two discontinuous north–south segments.
Route description
Southern section
The southern section is about long. It begins at U.S. Route 40 at the Putn ...
* Indiana State Road 218
Railroads
* 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 (3 ...
* Winamac Southern Railway
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Delphi have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1963 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July.[
]
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is 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 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 county districts. 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; commissioners are elected 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
Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may ...
that handles 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 also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[
County Officials: The county has 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, auditor
An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...
, treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
, recorder, 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 c ...
, 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 w ...
. These officers are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare a party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
affiliation and to be residents of the county.[
Carroll County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district and is represented by Jim Baird in the ]United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...
. It is also part of Indiana Senate
The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...
district 7 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 mem ...
district 24.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 20,155 people, 7,900 households, and 5,678 families in the county. The population density was . There were 9,472 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population.[ In terms of ancestry, 29.7% 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 ...
, 14.7% were American, 12.6% were Irish, and 8.8% were English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national id ...
.
Of the 7,900 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.1% were non-families, and 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.9 years.[
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,420. Males had a median income of $46,241 versus $29,541 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,163. About 6.1% of families and 9.4% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 20,306 people
Education
Public schools in Carroll County are administered by the following school districts:
* Carroll Consolidated School District
* Delphi Community School Corporation
* Rossville Consolidated School District
* Twin Lakes School Corporation
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
High schools and middle schools
* Delphi Community High School
* Delphi Community Middle School
* Carroll Consolidated School
Elementary schools
* Carroll Elementary School
* Delphi Community Elementary School[https://web.archive.org/web/20060929044102/http://www.delphi.k12.in.us/HC/]
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, Indiana
References
External links
*
Carroll Consolidated School District
Delphi Community School Corporation
{{Authority control
Indiana counties
1828 establishments in Indiana
Populated places established in 1828
Lafayette metropolitan area, Indiana