Washington County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,182. 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 ...

(and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the

Louisville metropolitan area The Louisville metropolitan area is the 43rd largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States. It had a population of 1,395,855 in 2020 according to the latest official census, and its principal city is Louisville, Kentucky. T ...

History

In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

, which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by an organic act that President of the United States, President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an Historic regions of the United States, organized incor ...

. President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

chose

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

as the territory's first governor, and

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 ...

was established as the territorial capital. After the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

was separated and the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. In 1790, Knox County was laid out. In 1801, Clark County was established, and in 1808 Harrison County was laid out, including the territory of the future Washington County. Starting in 1794, Native American titles to Indiana lands were extinguished by usurpation, purchase, or war and treaty. The United States acquired land from the Native Americans in the Treaty of Grouseland (1805), by which a large portion of the southern

became property of the government. This included the future Washington County. As early as 1802, a man named Frederick Royce lived among the Ox Indians at a place known as the Lick, two miles east of Salem and is probably the first white man to inhabit this county. He was a hunter-trader and salt manufacturer. In 1803, Thomas Hopper settled in this county near Hardinsburg. Washington County was created by act of the Territorial legislature dated December 21, 1813, taking territory from Harrison and Clark counties. Interim commissioners were named and directed to determine the proper choice of the seat of government. Accordingly, they began deliberating in January 1814, and by February 2 had selected an uninhabited site near the center, naming it 'Salem'. In the territorial act creating the county, it was named for

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

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 ...

, who had died fourteen years earlier. On September 1, 1814, the original boundary of Washington County was increased, by act of the Territorial legislature, but on December 26, 1815, much of this added territory was partitioned off to create Orange and Jackson counties. In December 1816 the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state. On January 12, 1820, the state partitioned a further portion of Washington County to create Scott County. In 1842, and again in 1873, the border between Scott and Washington counties was adjusted. In 1808, the first Black settlers arrived in the area along with white

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

. In 1815 they established the Blue River Meeting House northeast of Salem. By 1850, 252 Black people had settled in the county, mainly living in Posey and Washington townships. The passing into law in 1851 of a new state constitution, in which, Article 13 excluded further settlement of Black and mixed-race persons was indicative of increasing hostility towards this population and saw a decline in Black residents of the county to 187 by 1860. In Posey Township, the population of 90 Black people in 1850 had decreased to zero by 1860.

Whitecapping Whitecapping was a violent vigilante movement of farmers in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was originally a ritualized form of extralegal actions to enforce community standards, appropriate behavior, and tradi ...

, the process by which rural citizens used threats or extralegal violence to force Black people out of the region, continued in Washington County during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In December 1864, John Williams, a prosperous Black farmer in the county, was shot dead in the doorway of his home. In 1867, Alexander White, an elderly man, was stabbed to death in Salem after repeatedly ignoring the threats of white attendees to quit coming to their church. These lynchings convinced people the county was not safe and contributed to a continual exodus of Black people from the county. In 1870, 18 Black people remained in the county, and by 1880 only three remained. Salem, the county seat, had become a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

by 1898 at the latest. By the 20th century the entire county was officially sundown. A county history from 1916 declared that, "Washington County has for several decades boasted that no colored man or woman lived within her borders." Sundown signs existed in the county, with one located near Canton, east of Salem. Law enforcement would not allow Black people to stop in Salem, and would escort them to the county line. Washington County remained sundown until 1990 at the latest, when 15 Black people were recorded living in Salem on that year's census.

Geography

The low rolling hills of Washington County were tree-covered before settlement, but have been largely cleared and devoted to agriculture, although drainage areas are still wooded. The north portion of the county is drained by the Muscatatuck River, which forms the eastern portion of the county's north border. The East Fork of the White River joins the Muscatatuck near the center of the county's north line. The south part of the county is drained by the Blue River, which rises in the county and flows southwestward into Harrison County on its way to 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 highest point on the terrain ( ASL) is an isolated rise NNW from New Philadelphia in the eastern part. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.44%) is land and (or 0.56%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Jackson County − north * Scott County − northeast * Clark County − east * Floyd County − southeast * Harrison County − south * Crawford County − southwest * Orange County − west * Lawrence County − northwest

Communities

City

* Salem

Towns

* Campbellsburg * Hardinsburg * Little York *

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

* New Pekin *

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and high ...

Unincorporated communities

* Bartle * Beck's Mill * Blue River * Brimstone Corners * Bunker Hill * Canton * Claysville * Daisy Hill * Fairview * Farabee * Fayetteville * Fredericksburg * Georgetown * Gooseport * Haleysbury * Harristown *

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

* Hitchcock * Kossuth * Martinsburg *

McKinley McKinley may refer to: People *McKinley (name), a page for people with the surname and given name "McKinley" **William McKinley, 25th president of the United States. Places Philippines * Fort William McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio) in Metro Ma ...

* Millport *

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

* New Liberty * New Philadelphia * New Salem * Old Pekin * Organ Springs * Plattsburg * Prowsville * Pumpkin Center * Rosebud * Rush Creek Valley * Shorts Corner * Smedley *

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

Townships

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

* Franklin * Gibson *

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

* Jackson * Jefferson * Madison *

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

* Pierce * Polk * Posey * Vernon * Washington

Transit

* Southern Indiana Transit System

Major highways

U.S. Route 150 *

Indiana State Road 39 State Road 39 (SR 39) in the U.S. state of Indiana is the name of two distinct north–south highways. Route description Southern section Located in south-central Indiana, the shorter southern section of SR 39 begins at SR& ...

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 ...

* Indiana State Road 60 *

Indiana State Road 66 State Road 66 is an east–west highway in seven counties in the southernmost portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. Route description State Road 66 begins at the eastern end of a toll bridge over the Wabash River in New Harmony and ends a ...

* Indiana State Road 135 * Indiana State Road 160 *

Indiana State Road 256 State Road 256 (SR 256) in the U.S. State of Indiana runs mostly through Scott County, Indiana, Scott and Jefferson County, Indiana, Jefferson counties, with short portions in Jackson County, Indiana, Jackson and Washington County, Indiana ...

* Indiana State Road 335 * Indiana State Road 337

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Salem have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1951 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in October to in May. Five people were reported killed in Washington County during the tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012. Four were found dead in a home on Old Pekin Road according to Washington County officials. The fifth, a 15-month-old from the same family, had been found in a field, and died later in hospital.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,262 people, 10,850 households, and 7,799 families in the county. The population density was . There were 12,220 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.2% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 14.3% were American, 13.7% were Irish, and 9.6% were English. Of the 10,850 households, 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.1% were non-families, and 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 39.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $45,500. Males had a median income of $38,100 versus $28,092 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,278. About 12.2% of families and 16.9% 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 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code. County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes. Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide, to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute the acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government. Court: There are two judges in Washington County. The Judge of the Circuit Court is the Hon. Larry Medlock (R). The Judge of the Superior Court is the Hon. Dustin Houchin. (R). Case distribution is determined by local court rules. Each judge serves a six-year term. County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

, recorder,

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

, and circuit

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths ...

. These officers are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

affiliations and to be residents of the county. Washington County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

by Republican

Erin Houchin Erin Houchin ( ; née Mount; born September 24, 1976) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she represented the 47th district in the Indiana Senate from 2014 to 2022. Ea ...

Education

The county is served by three school districts: * Salem Community Schools * East Washington School Corporation * West Washington School Corporation There is also South Central Area Special Ed. East Washington School Corporation (Superintendent:Steve Darnell) includes: * East Washington Elementary School * East Washington Middle School * Eastern High School Salem Community Schools (Superintendent:Dr. D. Lynn Reed) includes:) * Salem High School * Salem Middle School * Bradie Shrum Elementary School West Washington School Corporation (Superintendent:Gerald Jackson) includes:) * West Washington Elementary School * West Washington Junior/Senior High School

References

;Specific ;General * American Legion Pekin Post 203, The. ''History of Pekin, Indiana'' (1959). The American Legion Pekin Post 203 * Everton Publishers, Inc, The. ''Handy book for Genealogists'' (1971). Everton Publishers, Inc. * ''History of Washington County 1884'' (1884). * Indiana Historical Commission. ''Indiana History Bulletin'' (August 1924). Wm. B. Burford * B. F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis, Indiana. ''Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana: Its People, Industries and Institution'' (1916). Warder W. Steven
Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana: Its People, Industries and Institutions : with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families

External links

Washington County Government website
{{Authority control Indiana counties 1814 establishments in Indiana Territory Populated places established in 1814 Louisville metropolitan area Sundown towns in Indiana