Vernon, Indiana
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Vernon is a town within Vernon Township 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 Jennings 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. With a population of just 236 in the 2020 census, it is the smallest county seat by population in the state of Indiana, lying just south of the much larger North Vernon. It sits on a peninsula as it is nearly surrounded by the Muscatatuck River. Vernon is the only Indiana town with an elected mayor and an elected town marshal. , Wayne Zamora is the mayor and Britt Burgmeier is the marshal. The Vernon Historic District is 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 ...
and is the site of many firsts in the state. * The first area set aside for use as a public playground in Indiana, The Commons * The first elevated railroad overpass west of the
Alleghenies The Allegheny Mountain Range ( ) — also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, less formally the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada. Historically it represented a significant barr ...
* The first all women's jury in Indiana * The first
Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
church in Indiana It was also the home of Indiana's fourth state park, now called Muscatatuck County Park.


History

Vernon was named after
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
,
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
's plantation estate in Virginia. The Vernon post office was established in 1817. Vernon was the site of a near-battle on July 11, 1863, during
Morgan's Raid Morgan's Raid (also the Calico Raid or Great Raid of 1863) was a diversionary incursion by Confederate States Army, Confederate cavalry into the Union (American Civil War), Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia during the A ...
in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. In April 1862, he raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment, fought at Shiloh, and then launched a costly raid in Kentucky, which encouraged Br ...
, targeting the
Ohio and Mississippi Railroad The Ohio and Mississippi Railway (earlier the Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road), abbreviated O&M, was a railroad operating between Cincinnati, Ohio, and East St. Louis, Illinois, from 1857 to 1893. The railroad started in 1854 and paralleled the ...
, demanded the surrender of the town, which was defended by 100 local militia in strong positions on hills and bluffs overlooking the Muscatatuck River and 178 Union troops under the command of Colonel Hugh Williams. The defenders successfully stalled Morgan by demanding time to consider surrender, and then requesting time for the evacuation of women and children, until 1,000 Union troops under the command of Brigadier General John Love could arrive from
Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...
. Major General
Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, artist, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Walla ...
also arrived later to take command of the entire Union force converging on Vernon. Morgan ultimately retreated south toward Dupont, Indiana, rather than risk a confrontation.


Geography

According to the 2010 census, Vernon has a total area of , all land.


Demographics


2010 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 2010, there were 318 people, 134 households, and 84 families living 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 167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.5%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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 ...
, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 134 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the town was 39.3 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


2000 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 2000, there were 330 people, 117 households, and 80 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 139 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.48%
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 ...
, 0.91%
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 ...
, 0.30% Native American and 0.30% Asian. There were 117 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,750, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $22,143 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 $17,367. About 5.2% of families and 9.5% 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 18.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* Sarah T. Bolton, pioneer poet * Ovid Butler, founder of
Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...
* Lincoln Dixon, a member of the U.S. Congress * William Forsyth, artist *General
Robert Sanford Foster Robert Sanford Foster (January 27, 1834 – March 3, 1903) was an American officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in the Siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Campaign. After the as ...
, officer in the Civil War * John C. New,
Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as the custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage pr ...
, U.S. Consul General to Great Britain and publisher of the ''
Indianapolis Journal The ''Indianapolis Journal'' was a newspaper published in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The paper published daily editions every evening except on Sundays, when it published a morning edition. Histor ...
'' *
Horatio C. Newcomb Horatio C. Newcomb (December 20, 1821—May 23, 1882) was an attorney and judge from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. He also served as the second mayor of Indianapolis. Early life Newcomb was born in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pennsylvania ...
, mayor of Indianapolis * Theodore Steele, artist * Jessamyn West, writer Famous people who visited and lived in Vernon include: Alexander Campbell, founder of the Christian Church and Bethany College;
Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...
, who came to Vernon early in the Civil War and made a plea for Lincoln and the Union at the Courthouse; and Lord Flanigan, English nobleman, who was at one time a citizen of Vernon.
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
spoke in front of the courthouse in Vernon on June 24, 1971, for the dedication of a plaque commemorating the birthplace of his mother,
Hannah Milhous Nixon Hannah Elizabeth Milhous Nixon (March 7, 1885 – September 30, 1967) was the mother of U.S. president Richard Nixon. Hannah's influence on her son was profound, and he frequently spoke about his admiration for his mother, including at hi ...
.


Literature

The 1945 novel ''
The Friendly Persuasion ''The Friendly Persuasion'' is an American novel published in 1945 by Jessamyn West (writer), Jessamyn West. It was adapted as the Academy Award, Oscar-nominated motion picture ''Friendly Persuasion (1956 film), Friendly Persuasion'' in 1956. The ...
'' by Jessamyn West and its 1956 Oscar-nominated and Palme d'Or winning adaption, starring
Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
, are set in and around Vernon during the Civil War.


References


External links


Town website
{{authority control County seats in Indiana Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Towns in Jennings County, Indiana Towns in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Jennings County, Indiana