Hazleton is a town in White River Township, Gibson County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 263 at the 2010 census making it the second smallest community in the county. While having almost no connection to it, it is part of the

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

Metropolitan Area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

History

Hazleton is the second-oldest town in Gibson County after Patoka. It was named in honor of Gervas Hazleton, believed to be the second settler to permanently locate to the county. Hazleton first lived in a crude camp lit by large log fires that was a popular stopover for early migrants to the area. The town was platted in 1856 by Lucius French. T. S. Fuller erected the town's first frame building, and John Breedlove built the town's blacksmith shop. The first steamboat of any note to travel up the White River was the ''Cleopatria'' in 1884. On March 10, 1897, a passenger train of the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad (now the Chicago & Eastern Illinois) wrecked near Hazleton. An embankment which carried the tracks past the White River had been weakened by the river's flood waters, and collapsed under the weight of the train, causing it to

derail A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling (blocking or compromising) of a rail track (or collision with anything present on the track, such as a person, or a train) by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock ...

. Around a dozen people are believed to have been killed, though most bodies were never found.

Geography

Hazleton is located at (38.488953, -87.541652). The town is situated along the south bank of the White River in northern Gibson County (the river marks the county line between Gibson and Knox counties). State Road 56 connects the town with

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...

, which runs northward to

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. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...

and southward to the

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

area. Hazleton is above sea level. According to the 2010 census, Hazleton has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 194 people, 108 households, and 78 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 120 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%

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 ...

, 2.3%

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 ...

, and 0.4% 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 0.4% of the population. There were 108 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.8% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the town was 44.9 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 35.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 288 people, 108 households, and 84 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 119 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.22%

, and 2.78% from two or more races. There were 108 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were

living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $36,406. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $28,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $13,156. About 25.0% of families and 25.9% 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 36.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those 65 or over.

Education

Prior to 1963, students were zoned to Hazleton High School. That year, it merged into White River High School, which had the school colors as red, white, and blue and the mascots as the Little Giants. In 1965, that school in turn merged into

Princeton Community High School Princeton Community High School is a four-year comprehensive secondary school in Princeton, Indiana, United States. The high school is a part of the North Gibson School Corporation. Until March 2016, the school operated a television station, ...

. Nathan Blackford of ''

Evansville Living Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

'' described White River High as "Possibly the shortest-lived high school of the consolidation era" as many school districts and schools in 1960s Indiana were merging with one another.

References

External links

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Entry ata IOFF Hazleton Cemetery list of graves
{{authority control Towns in Gibson County, Indiana Towns in Indiana Evansville metropolitan area Communities of Southwestern Indiana Populated places established in 1806