Vevay ( ) is a town located in Jefferson 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 ...

Switzerland County, Indiana Switzerland County is a county in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 9,737. The county seat is Vevay, one of two incorporated towns in the county. History In 1787, the f ...

, United States, along the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. The population was 1,741 at the 2020 census.

History

The first settlers who arrived in 1802 were Swiss immigrants intending on cultivating grapes and producing wine. It was named after the Swiss town of

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

. The town was platted in 1813. When Switzerland County was formed in 1814, Vevay was made the county seat. The Vevay post office has been in operation since 1816. The community was incorporated as a town in 1836. Vevay collected a reputation of being home to the first commercial winery in the United States; However, the first certified commercial winery was established in

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, Jessamine County, Kentucky. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlemen ...

, in 1799 by Swiss immigrant John Dufour. The Edward and George Cary Eggleston House, Old Hoosier Theatre, Benjamin Schenck Mansion, and Switzerland County Courthouse are 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 ...

Geography

Vevay is located along the

and

Indiana State Road 56 State Road 56 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a route that travels the south central part of the state from west to east. Route description The western terminus of SR 56 is near Hazleton at U.S. Route 41. SR 56 heads northeast to ...

/ 156. According to the 2010 census, Vevay has a total area of , of which (or 93.73%) is land and (or 6.27%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Vevay has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 1,683 people, 725 households, and 393 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 826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 725 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% 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, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the town was 40.8 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1735 people, 719 households, and 437 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 795 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.67%

, 0.23%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 719 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were

living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,448, and the median income for a family was $32,857. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $20,167 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 $15,477. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% 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 15.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary schools

* Jeff-Craig Elementary School * Switzerland County Elementary School

Middle schools

* Switzerland Middle School

High schools

* Switzerland County Senior High School

Others

The town has a lending library, the Switzerland County Public Library.

Arts and culture

The Swiss Wine Festival

Vevay holds an annual celebration called the Swiss Wine Festival. It is usually held on the last weekend in August, as well as the preceding Thursday and Friday. This festival was first celebrated in the 1970s and soon became the most adored tradition of the locals.

Origin

Since 1797, approximately every 22 years, ''la Fête des Vignerons'' (''The Winegrowers' Festival'') is celebrated in the Swiss city of

Points of interest

*"Life on the Ohio" River History Museum reflects Vevay's and Switzerland County's heritage on the

. *Switzerland County Historical Museum is located in an old Presbyterian church, built in 1860. *The first Switzerland County Courthouse was built in 1822 and is listed on the

. It was replaced by the one that stands today in 1865, built by contractor John Haley. *The Benjamin Franklin Schenck Mansion is a 35-room mansion, built in 1874 by Benjamin Franklin Schenck *The U.P. Schenck House was built in 1846 for Ulysses P. Schenck, a Swiss riverboat captain who owned a fleet of flat bottom river boats. *The Armstrong Tavern is a two-story log house built in 1816 by Thomas Armstrong. *The Hoosier Theatre was built in 1837 and is listed on the

Notable people

* Lydia Moss Bradley, philanthropist and founder of

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

* Ebenezer Dumont, Civil War general and U.S. Congressman * Julia Louisa Dumont (1794-1857), educator and writer * Edward Eggleston, Methodist minister and author *

George Cary Eggleston George Cary Eggleston (26 November 1839 – 14 April 1911) American writer and brother of fellow writer Edward Eggleston (1837–1902). Sons of Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. After the American Civil War he published a serialized acc ...

, author, editor, Civil War Historian, and brother to Edward Eggleston. * Bertha Fry,

supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

, born in Vevay in 1893, died in 2007 at age 113 years, 11 months, 13 days *

Ken Maynard Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western (genre), Western stars in Hollywood. Maynard was also an occa ...

, actor and stuntman *

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. He appeared in 280 films between 1927 and 1962. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike ...

, actor and stuntman, played for Indiana University Football 1920s. *

Will Henry Stevens Will Henry Stevens (November 28, 1881 – August 25, 1949) was an American modernist painter and naturalist. Stevens is known for his paintings and tonal pastels depicting the rural Southern landscape, abstractions of nature, and non-objective ...

, artist * E. S. L. Thompson (1848-1944), writer

References

External links

Town website
{{Authority control Towns in Switzerland County, Indiana Towns in Indiana County seats in Indiana Populated places established in 1802 Indiana populated places on the Ohio River 1802 establishments in Indiana Territory