Columbus () is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States.
The population was 50,474 at the
2020 census. The city is known for its architectural significance, having commissioned noted works of
modern architecture
Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
and
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
since the mid-20th century; the annual program
Exhibit Columbus celebrates this legacy. Located about south of
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, on the east fork of the
White River, it is the state's 20th-largest city. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Indiana
metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Bartholomew County. Columbus is the birthplace of former
Indiana Governor and former
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
,
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
.
Columbus is the headquarters of the engine company
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...
. In 2004 the city was named as one of "The Ten Most Playful Towns" by ''
Nick Jr. Family Magazine''. In the July 2005 edition of ''
GQ'' magazine, Columbus was named as one of the "62 Reasons to Love Your Country". Columbus won the national contest "America in Bloom" in 2006, and in late 2008, ''
National Geographic Traveler'' ranked Columbus 11th on its historic destinations list, describing the city as "authentic, unique, and unspoiled."
History
The land developed as Columbus was bought by General
John Tipton and Luke Bonesteel in 1820. Tipton built a log cabin on Mount Tipton, a small hill overlooking
White River and the surrounding flat, heavily forested and swampy valley. It held wetlands of the river. The town was first known as Tiptona, named in honor of Tipton. The town's name was changed to Columbus on March 20, 1821. Many people believe Tipton was upset by the name change, but no evidence exists to prove this. Nonetheless, he decided to leave the newly founded town and did not return.
Tipton was later appointed as the highway commissioner for the
State of Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
and was assigned to building a highway from
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
to
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. When the road approached Columbus, Tipton constructed the first bypass road ever built; it detoured south around the west side of Columbus en route to
Seymour.
Joseph McKinney was the first to plot the town of Columbus, but no date was recorded. Local history books for years said that the land on which Columbus sits was donated by Tipton. But in 2003, Historic Columbus Indiana acquired a deed showing that Tipton had sold the land.
A ferry was established below the confluence of the
Flatrock and Driftwood rivers, which form the White River. A village of three or four log cabins developed around the ferry landing, and a store was added in 1821. Later that year, Bartholomew County was organized by an act of the
State Legislature and named to honor the famous Hoosier militiaman,
General Joseph Bartholomew. Columbus was incorporated as a town on June 28, 1864, and was incorporated as a city 1921.
The first railroad in Indiana was constructed to Columbus from
Madison, Indiana in 1844. This eventually became the Madison branch of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad fostered the growth of the community into one of the largest in Indiana, and three more railroads reached the city by 1850.
The Crump Theatre in Columbus, built in 1889 by John Crump, is the oldest theater in Indiana. Today the building is included within the
Columbus Historic District. Before it closed permanently in 2010, it was an all-ages venue with occasional musical performances.
The Cummins Bookstore began operations in the city in 1892. Until late 2007, when it closed, it was the oldest continually operated bookstore in Indiana.
The
Irwin Union Bank building was built in 1954. It was designated as a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
in 2001 in recognition of its unique architecture. The building consists of a one-story bank structure adjacent to a three-story office annex. A portion of the office annex was built along with the banking hall in 1954. The remaining larger portion, designed by
Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, was built in 1973.
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
designed the bank building with its glazed hall to be set off against the blank background of its three-story brick annex. Two steel and glass vestibule connectors lead from the north side of this structure to the annex. The building was designed to distance the Irwin Union Bank from traditional banking architecture, which mostly echoed imposing, neoclassical style buildings of brick or stone. Tellers were behind iron bars and removed from their customers. Saarinen worked to develop a building that would welcome customers rather than intimidate them.
Economy
Columbus has been home to many manufacturing companies, including Noblitt-Sparks Industries, which built radios under the Arvin brand in the 1930s, and Arvin Industries, now
Meritor After merging with Meritor Automotive on July 10, 2000, the headquarters of the newly created ArvinMeritor Industries was established in Troy, Michigan, the home of parent company,
Rockwell International. It was announced in February 2011 that the company name would revert to Meritor, Inc.
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...
is by far the region's largest employer, and the Infotech Park in Columbus accounts for a sizable number of research jobs in the city itself. Just south of Columbus are the North American headquarters of
Toyota Material Handling, the world's largest material handling (
forklift
A forklift (also called industrial truck, lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th c ...
) manufacturer.
Other notable industries include architecture, a discipline for which Columbus is famous worldwide. The late
Joseph Irwin Miller (then president and chairman of
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...
) launched the Cummins Foundation, a charitable program that helps subsidize a large number of architectural projects throughout the city by up-and-coming engineers and architects.
Early in the 20th century, Columbus also was home to a number of pioneering car manufacturers, including
Reeves
Reeves may refer to:
People
* Reeves (surname)
* B. Reeves Eason (1886–1956), American director, actor and screenwriter
* Reeves Nelson (born 1991), American basketball player
Places
;Ireland
* Reeves, County Kildare, townland in County Kild ...
, which produced the unusual four-axle
Octoauto and the twin rear-axle Sextoauto, both around 1911.
Geography
The
Driftwood and
Flatrock Rivers converge at Columbus to form the East Fork of the
White River.
According to the 2010 census, Columbus has a total area of , of which (or 98.62%) is land and (or 1.38%) is water.
Climate
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 44,061 people, 17,787 households, and 11,506 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 19,700 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.7%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 5.6%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 2.5% from
other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population.
There were 17,787 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.3% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00.
The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, there were 39,059 people, 15,985 households, and 10,566 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,162 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.32%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.71%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.13%
Native American, 3.23%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 1.39% from
other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 2.81% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
There were 15,985 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were composed of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24 years, 29.5% from 25 to 44 years, 23.0% from 45 to 64 years, and 13.7% over the age of 65. The median age was 36 years. There were 92.8 males for every 100 females and 89.6 males for every 100 females over age 18.
The
median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...
for a household in the city was $41,723, and the median income for a family was $52,296. Males had a median income of $40,367 versus $24,446 for females, and the per capita income was $22,055. About 6.5% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Columbus is a city known for its
modern architecture
Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
and
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
.
J. Irwin Miller, 2nd CEO and a nephew of a co-founder of
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...
, the Columbus-headquartered diesel engine manufacturer, instituted a program in which the Cummins Foundation paid the architects' fees, provided the client selected a firm from a list compiled by the foundation. The plan was initiated with public schools and was so successful that the foundation decided to offer such design support to other non-profit and civic organizations. The high number of notable public buildings and
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
in the Columbus area, designed by such individuals as
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
,
I. M. Pei,
Robert Venturi,
César Pelli, and
Richard Meier, led to Columbus earning the nickname "Athens on the Prairie."
Seven buildings, constructed between 1942 and 1965, are
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
s, and approximately 60 other buildings sustain the Bartholomew County seat's reputation as a showcase of modern architecture.
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
once devoted an article to the town's architecture.
In 2015,
Landmark Columbus was created as a program of Heritage Fund - The Community Foundation of Bartholomew county.
In addition to the Columbus Historic District and Irwin Union Bank, the city has numerous buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, including seven
National Historic Landmarks
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
of modernist architecture:
Bartholomew County Courthouse,
Columbus City Hall,
First Baptist Church,
First Christian Church,
Haw Creek Leather Company,
Mabel McDowell Elementary School,
McEwen-Samuels-Marr House,
McKinley School,
Miller House,
North Christian Church, and
The Republic Newspaper Office.
The city is the basis for the 2017 film ''
Columbus'' by independent filmmaker
Kogonada. The film was shot on location in Columbus over 18 days in the summer of 2016.
National Historic Landmarks
*
First Baptist Church was designed by
Harry Weese without windows and was dedicated in 1965. Its architectural features include a high-pitched roof and skylight.
*
First Christian Church was designed by
Eliel Saarinen with a 160-ft (49m) tower and was dedicated in 1942. Among the first Modern religious buildings in America, it includes a sunken terrace and a 900-person sanctuary.
*
Irwin Union Bank was designed by
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
and includes an addition by
Kevin Roche
Eamonn Kevin Roche (June 14, 1922 – March 1, 2019) was an Irish-born American Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Kevin Roche was the Archetype, archetypal Modern architecture, modernist and "member of an elite group of third generation modern ...
. The building was dedicated in 1954 and is possibly the first financial institution in America to use glass walls and an open floor plan.
* The
Mabel McDowell School opened in 1960 and was designed by
John Carl Warnecke early in his career, using his "early comprehensive diverse approach." The architect fee was the second to be funded by the Cummins Engine Foundation.
* The
Miller House and Garden was constructed in 1957 and was designed by
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
and landscaped by
Dan Kiley. One of the few residential designs by Saarinen, the home is an expression of International Style and was built for
J. Irwin Miller of the Cummins Engine corporation and foundation.
*
North Christian Church was designed by
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...
and held its first worship in 1964. The hexagonal-shaped building includes a 192-ft (59m) spire and houses a
Holtkamp organ.
*
The Republic Newspaper Office was designed by
Myron Goldsmith at
SOM.
*
Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor
Other notable Modern buildings
*
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, by William Browne Jr. and Steven Risting
*
Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, by
I. M. Pei
*
Columbus East High School, by
Romaldo Giurgola
*
Commons Centre and Mall, by
César Pelli
* St. Peter's Lutheran Church, by
Gunnar Birkerts
* Lincoln Elementary School, by
Gunnar Birkerts
*
Otter Creek Golf Course, by
Harry Weese
*
Fire Station Number 4, by
Robert Venturi
*Columbus Regional Hospital, by
Robert A.M. Stern
Notable historic buildings
*
Bartholomew County Courthouse by
Isaac Hodgson
*
Columbus Power House by
Harrison Albright
*
The Crump Theatre by
Charles Franklin Sparrell
Public art
* ''
Chaos I'' by
Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely (22 May 1925 – 30 August 1991) was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines (known officially as Métamatics) that extended the Dada tradition into the later part of the 20th century.Chilvers, Ian; Gl ...
* ''
Friendship Way'' by William A. Johnson, containing an untitled neon sculpture by
Cork Marcheschi
*
Irwin Gardens at the
Inn at Irwin Gardens
* ''
Large Arch'' by
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...
* ''
2 Arcs de 212.5˚'' by
Bernar Venet
* ''
Horses
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...
'' by
Costantino Nivola
* ''
The Family'' by
Harris Barron
* ''
Yellow Neon Chandelier and Persians'' by
Dale Chihuly
* ''
C'' by
Robert Indiana
* ''
Sermon on the Mount'' by
Loja Saarinen and
Eliel Saarinen
* ''
History and Mystery'' by
William T. Wiley
* ''
Exploded Engine'' by
Rudolph de Harak
* ''Eos'' by Dessa Kirk
Exhibit Columbus
In May 2016, Landmark Columbus launched
Exhibit Columbus as a way to continue the ambitious traditions of the past into the future. Exhibit Columbus features annual programming that alternates between symposium and exhibition years.
Sports
Columbus High School was home to footwear pioneer
Chuck Taylor, who played basketball in Columbus before setting out to promote his now famous shoes and the sport of basketball before being inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
.
Two local high schools compete within the state in various sports. Columbus North and Columbus East both have competitive athletics and have many notable athletes that go on to compete in college and beyond.
Columbus North High School houses one of the
largest high school gyms in the United StatesCNHS vs CEHS
Indiana Diesels of the
Premier Basketball League play their home games at the gymnasium at
Ceraland Park, with plans to move to a proposed downtown sports complex in the near future. Similarly, the
Indiana Sentinels of the
Federal Prospects Hockey League play their home games at
Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena with plans to move to a newer, larger arena by 2029.
Parks and recreation
Columbus boasts over of parks and green space and over 20 miles of People Trails. These amenities, in addition to several athletic and community facilities, including Donner Aquatic Center, Lincoln Park Softball Complex, Hamilton Center Ice Arena, Clifty Park, Foundation for Youth/Columbus Gymnastics Center and The Commons, are managed and maintained by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.
Transportation
Transit
ColumBUS provides bus service in the city with five routes operating Monday through Saturday.
Roads and highways
The north–south
U.S. Route 31 has been diverted to the northeastern part of the city.
Interstate 65 bypasses Columbus to the west.
Indiana Route 46 runs-east-west through the southern section of the city.
Railroads
Freight rail service is provided by the
Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC). The LIRC line runs in a north–south orientation along the western edge of Columbus.
The
Pennsylvania Railroad's ''Kentuckyian'' (Chicago-Louisville) made stops in the city until 1968. The PRR and its successor, the
Penn Central, ran the Florida-bound ''
South Wind'' up to 1971.
The city has been earmarked as a location for a new Amtrak station along the Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville rail corridor.
Airport
Columbus is served by the
Columbus Municipal Airport (KBAK). It is located approximately north of Columbus. The airport handles approximately 40,500 operations per year, with roughly 87% general aviation, 4% air taxi, 8% military and less than 1% commercial service. The airport has two concrete runways; a 6,401-foot runway with approved ILS and GPS approaches (Runway 5-23) and a 5,001-foot crosswind runway, also with GPS approaches, (Runway 14-32).
The nearest commercial airport which currently has scheduled airline service is
Indianapolis International Airport (IND), located approximately northwest of Columbus.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport are to the south and to the southeast, respectively.
Notable people
This is a list of notable people who were born in, or who currently live, or have lived in Columbus.
*
Ross Barbour and Don Barbour, singers in
the Four Freshmen
*
Michael Evans Behling, actor
*
Kate Bruce, silent-film actress
*
Clessie Cummins, inventor, mechanic, salesman, and founder of engine manufacturer
Cummins, Inc.
*
William H. Donner, businessman, industrialist and philanthropist
*
Tyler Duncan, golfer
*
Dutch Fehring, Major League Baseball player and Purdue coach
*
Arthur W Graham III, creator of the first fully automatic electronic race timing & scoring system, long-time Indy 500 executive race official
*
Lee H. Hamilton, member of U.S. Congress and co-chair of the
9/11 Commission
*
Jordan Bryce Hutson, gospel musician
*
Jamie Hyneman, former host of ''
MythBusters
''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...
''
*
Blair Kiel, Notre Dame and pro football quarterback
*
Debbi Lawrence, race walker
*
Scott McNealy, chairman and co-founder of
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...
*
J. Irwin Miller, industrialist, CEO of Cummins
*
Mike Moore, Minor League Baseball president
*
Jeff Osterhage, television and film actor
*
Bob Paris, best-selling author, award-winning public speaker and social change agent, former Mr. Universe
*
Greg Pence
Gregory Joseph Pence (born November 14, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Indiana's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district serves ...
,
U.S. representative from 2019-2025, older brother of
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
*
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
,
50th Governor of Indiana (2013–2017) and
48th Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
(2017–2021)
*
Mike Phipps, Purdue All-American and #3 draft pick, NFL quarterback (Browns and Bears)
*
Frank Richman, Justice of the
Indiana Supreme Court, judge at the
Nuremberg trials
*
Terry Schmidt, NFL cornerback
*
Stephen Sprouse, fashion designer
*
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed "Smoke", is an American semi-retired professional auto racing driver, and former NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. He currently competes in the NHRA Top Fuel class. He is a four-t ...
, auto racing driver and team owner,
USAC, 3-time
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Cup Series Champion, owner of NASCAR team Stewart Haas Racing and
NHRA team Tony Stewart Racing
*
Jill Tasker, television and voice actor
*
Chuck Taylor, shoe designer
*
Bruce Tinsley, creator of
Mallard Fillmore
*
Herbert Wright, producer
Education
The
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) is the local school district. High schools include:
*
Columbus East High School
*
Columbus North High School
Columbus has a public library, a branch of the Bartholomew County Public Library.
Secondary education includes
Indiana University Columbus (IU Columbus), an
Ivy Tech campus, a
Purdue Polytechnic campus, and an
Indiana Wesleyan University education center.
See also
* ''
The Republic'', daily newspaper based in Columbus
*
List of public art in Columbus, Indiana
* ''
Columbus'', a 2017 American film set in Columbus, Indiana
References
Sources
* Illustrated Historical Atlas of Bartholomew County, Indiana, 1879 (reprinted by the Bartholomew County Historical Society, 1978)
* 2003 History of Bartholomew County, Indiana, Volume II, copyright 2003, by the Bartholomew County Historical Society
Further reading
* Columbus Indiana in Vintage Postcards, by Tamara Stone Iorio, copyright 2005 by Tamara Stone Iorio, published by Arcadia Publishing,
* "Have you Seen my Town?" by Pamela Dinsmore
* "Images of America: Columbus" by Patricia Mote
* "I Discover Columbus" by William Marsh
* "The Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins" by Lyle Cummins
* "The Engine that Could" by Jeffrey L. Cruikshank and David B. Sicilia
* "Columbus Indiana" by Balthazar Korab
* "A Look at Architecture: Columbus Indiana" by the Visitor's Center
* "People and Places in my Town, Columbus Indiana" by Sylvia Worton
* "Folk Heroes, Heroines, and Hometown Heritage – From Columbus, Indiana's City Hall Murals and Beyond" is about Columbus' outstanding personality beyond its architecture. , by Rose Pelone Sisson
External links
City of Columbus websiteColumbus Area Visitors CenterA History of Columbus Indiana*
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1820 establishments in Indiana
Cities in Indiana
County seats in Indiana
Populated places established in 1820