Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, 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 so ...

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 ...

. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is situated along the

Wabash River The Wabash River () 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, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

in 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 Wabash County. Wabash is notable as claiming to be the first electrically lighted city in the world, which was inaugurated on March 31, 1880. However, closer inspection of the reference shows only the court house grounds were lighted. It is also home to the historic Eagles Theatre, Paradise Spring Treaty Grounds (1826), the Wabash and Erie Canal, Presbyterian Church (1880), and Disciples of Christ Christian Church (1865).

Etymology

The name Wabash derives from a Miami-Illinois term for "water over white stones." The Miami name reflected the clarity of the river in

Huntington County, Indiana Huntington County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 36,662. The county seat (and only city) is Huntington, Indiana, ...

, where the river bottom is

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

History

The first settlers to arrive in Wabash was in 1829 as a result of the treaty of Paradise Spring. The town of Wabash was platted in the spring of 1834 by Col. Hugh Hanna and Col. David Burr. The community was designated as the county seat, and it was incorporated in 1834. The town prospered due to its proximity to the Wabash and Erie Canal. In 1870 the Wabash County Courthouse and most of downtown was destroyed in a fire. However, the resilience of the city led Wabash to recover. The construction of the Big Four Railway brought even more growth to the small town but led to the neglect of the canal. Wabash used a new type of carbon arc light invented by Charles Brush in 1870. On March 31, 1880, four 3,000-candle power lamps were suspended from the top of the courthouse. Two telegraph wires ran from the lamps to the courthouse basement, where they were connected to a generator powered by a 12-horsepower steam engine to provide power The James M. Amoss Building, Downtown Wabash Historic District, East Wabash Historic District, First Christian Church, Honeywell Memorial Community Center, Honeywell Studio, McNamee-Ford House, North Wabash Historic District, West Wabash Historic District, and Solomon Wilson Building 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 ...

Media

The Wabash Free Trader was published in Wabash from 1871 to 1876. The Wabash Weekly Courier was published from 1876 until 1887.

Geography

The

runs through the town, on its way towards

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, where it splits creating a series of islands, and where the sandbars are quite common on this stretch. According to the 2010 census, Wabash has a total area of , of which (or 97.39%) is land and (or 2.61%) is water.

Climate

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 10,666 people, 4,465 households, and 2,805 families living in the city. 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 5,068 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% 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 2.0% of the population. There were 4,465 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41.3 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 11,743 people, 4,799 households, and 3,100 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.85%

, 0.37%

, 1.06% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 4,799 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $12,000, and the median income for a family was $14000. Males had a median income of $18000 versus $12,000 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 city was $18,210. About 7.9% of families and 9.3% 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 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Theater

Opened on March 30, 1906, the Eagles Theatre was built as a vaudeville theatre. In the late 1920s it was remodeled by architect Alvin M. Strauss and had switched to movies by the 1930s. further remodeling was carried out in 1939 when it was redecorated in the Art Deco style. The Eagles Theatre has one of the largest screens remaining in Indiana and has 2 balconies and a ballroom. The Eagles Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Honeywell Center is a performing arts center located in downtown Wabash. Construction of the 45,000-square-foot-facilaity began in 1940 but was postponed until 1957. in 1997 a 75,000-square-foot addition included the 1,500-seat Ford Theater, Eugenia's Restaurant and an art gallery.

Economy

The Honeywell Corporation was founded in the 1880s in Wabash, Indiana. Wabash is home to The Ford Meter Box Company, a prominent manufacturer in the waterworks industry. Wabash is also home to many smaller companies. Papers industries Inc., Beacon Credit Union, The Metropolitan School District also employs many people (100 - 200)

Religion

The city's largest congregation is the United Methodist Church; other churches in the city include:

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

, Church of the Nazarene,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, Wesleyan, and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Government

The government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elected in citywide vote. The city council consists of 7 members with 5 elected from individual districts and two elected at-large. The current members of city council are: * Bryan Dillion ( R, AL) * John Burnsworth ( R, AL) * David Weaver ( R, 1st) * Dave Monroe ( R, 2nd) * Terry Brewer ( R, 3rd) * Susan Bonfitto ( R, 4th) * Jan Roland ( R, 5th) The Wabash post office has been in operation since 1839.Hay, p. 26

Education

Higher education

There are 2 universities within 20 miles of Wabash. The biggest and most notable being

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

which is based in

North Manchester North Manchester was, from 1896 to 1916 a civil parish within the Poor Law Union of Manchester, in Lancashire, (now Greater Manchester) England. North Manchester was a local government sub-district used for the administration of Poor Law legisl ...

and Huntington University which is located in Huntington.

Primary and secondary schools

* OJ Neighbours Elementary School * Meroby Elementary School * St Bernard Elementary School * Wabash Middle School * Wabash High School The town has a lending library, the Wabash Carnegie Public Library.

Image gallery

File:Cortes del Condado de Wabash, Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 01.jpg, Wabash County Courthouse File:Wabash Indiana Paradise Springs Council Cabin.JPG, Paradise Spring Treaty Grounds (1826) File:Wabash Indiana Old Warehouse Wabash n Erie Canal.JPG, Old Warehouse, which backs up on the Wabash and Erie Canal File:Wabash Indiana Presbyterian Church.JPG, Presbyterian Church (1880) File:Iglesia de Cristo, Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 01.jpg, Disciples of Christ Christian Church (1865) Centro de Wabash, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-11-12, DD 08.jpg, Former fire station and city hall.

Notable people

* Michael Baber - music and sound editor * Adelaide Steele Baylor - federal education official * Loren M. Berry – pioneer of Yellow Pages telephone directory * Rick Brandenburg – entomologist * John W. Corso – art director and production designer * John P. Costas - telecommunications engineer, noted for Costas loop * James E. Dabler - Illinois state representative and businessman * Jimmy Daywalt – race car driver * Charles Dingle - actor * Gus Dorais – football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball * Crystal Gayle - country singer * Larry Hall - Serial killer * Mark Honeywell – founder of Honeywell Corporation and Honeywell Center * Howard A. Howe - polio researcher * O. P. Hubbard - member of the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

(1915–1919). * Bobby Jones – National Football League guard *

Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller ( ; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller ( ), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He became known as the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about wh ...

- poet and frontiersman * George Mullin - Major League Baseball player * Keith O'Conner Murphy - Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer and songwriter * Margie Stewart - U.S. Army poster girl during World War II

References

External links

City of Wabash, Indiana website
{{authority control Cities in Indiana Micropolitan areas of Indiana Cities in Wabash County, Indiana County seats in Indiana 1834 establishments in Indiana