Colonel William A. Phillips

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 46,428.[1] The county seat is Brownstown.[2]

History

Jackson County was formed in 1816. It was named after General Andrew Jackson.[3]

Jackson County was the site of the first recorded train robbery of a moving train in the United States. On October 6, 1866, the Reno Gang robbed an Ohio and Mississippi Railway train, making off with over $10,000.[4]

Jackson County has the second longest 3-span covered bridge in the world; The Medora Covered Bridge. After a recent project to completely refurbish the Medora Covered Bridge, the nearby town of Medora now holds an annual event at the bridge. The bridge is open for pedestrian traffic and site-seers. Another long neglected covered bridge, the Bells Ford Bridge, believed to have been the last remaining Post Truss bridge in the world, succumbed to neglect, collapsing into the White River on January 2, 2006.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 513.91 square miles (1,331.0 km2), of which 509.31 square miles (1,319.1 km2) (or 99.10%) is land and 4.60 square miles (11.9 km2) (or 0.90%) is water.[5]

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Townships

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas,[6] U.S. Census Bureau[7]

National protected areas

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Brownstown have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.84 inches (72 mm) in February to 5.01 inches (127 mm) in May.[8]

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 county council is the fiscal body of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. The 7 representatives are elected from 4 county districts and 3 at-large positions. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also 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.[9][10]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[9][10]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[10]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[10]

In July, 2021 Jerome McLemore was incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail after pulling the hair of a nurse during a medical exam that resulted from a welfare call about the man by his mother. Mr McLemore had a history of schizophrenia and was locked naked without toilet in solitary confinement for more than 3 weeks with minimal supervision. During that time he was refused medical attention and Mr McLemore exhibited considerable self-harming behavior that was left untreated; he lost more than 45 pounds during the 21 days as he refused most food. Finally on August 8 he was found unconscious in his cell. The lawsuit filed by his family says "doctors listed his cause of death as 'multiple organ failure due to refusal to eat or drink with altered mental status due to untreated schizophrenia.'”[11][12]

Jackson County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and was represented in Congress by Republican Todd Young until Young was elected to the Senate. Since then, it has been represented by Trey Hollingsworth.[13] It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 44 and 45[14] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 65, 66,69 and 73.[15]

United States presidential election results for Jackson County, Indiana[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,555 75.66% 4,302 22.36% 381 1.98%
2016 12,859 72.79% 3,843 21.75% 965 5.46%
2012 10,419 62.34% 5,838 34.93% 455 2.72%
2008 9,726 55.77% 7,354 42.17% 360 2.06%
2004 11,083 67.96% 5,092 31.22% 134 0.82%
2000 9,054 62.01% 5,330 36.50% 218 1.49%
1996 5,883 46.41% 5,150 40.63% 1,642 12.95%
1992 7,246 44.81% 5,663 35.02% 3,261 20.17%
1988 9,470 62.77% 5,550 36.78% 68 0.45%
1984 9,879 64.85% 5,163 33.89% 192 1.26%
1980 8,903 55.85% 6,425 40.30% 614 3.85%
1976 7,615 49.58% 7,610 49.55% 133 0.87%
1972 9,546 64.99% 4,984 33.93% 159 1.08%
1968 7,710 52.02% 5,140 34.68% 1,971 13.30%
1964 6,285 41.98% 8,572 57.26% 114 0.76%
1960 8,213 55.27% 6,582 44.29% 66 0.44%
1956 8,375 57.30% 6,185 42.31% 57 0.39%
1952 8,067 55.14% 6,460 44.16% 103 0.70%
1948 6,062 45.00% 7,258 53.88% 151 1.12%
1944 6,321 50.87% 5,982 48.14% 123 0.99%
1940 6,281 45.13% 7,557 54.30% 79 0.57%
1936 4,951 37.98% 8,018 61.50% 68 0.52%
1932 3,996 33.06% 7,882 65.22% 208 1.72%
1928 5,151 49.78% 5,130 49.58% 66 0.64%
1924 4,187 41.63% 5,332 53.02% 538 5.35%
1920 5,069 48.04% 5,319 50.41% 164 1.55%
1916 2,422 40.65% 3,312 55.59% 224 3.76%
1912 921 16.25% 3,225 56.91% 1,521 26.84%
1908 2,631 39.93% 3,783 57.41% 175 2.66%
1904 2,775 42.94% 3,467 53.65% 220 3.40%
1900 2,795 41.51% 3,849 57.16% 90 1.34%
1896 2,670 42.43% 3,574 56.79% 49 0.78%
1892 2,233 39.24% 3,363 59.09% 95 1.67%
1888 2,263 40.89% 3,235 58.45% 37 0.67%

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18204,010
18304,87021.4%
18408,96184.0%
185011,04723.3%
186016,28647.4%
187018,97416.5%
188023,05021.5%
189024,1394.7%
190026,63310.3%
191024,727−7.2%
192024,228−2.0%
193023,731−2.1%
194026,61212.1%
195028,2376.1%
196030,5568.2%
197033,1878.6%
198036,52310.1%
199037,7303.3%
200041,3359.6%
201042,3762.5%
202046,4289.6%
2022 (est.)46,300[17]−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1790–1960[19] 1900–1990[20]
1990–2000[21] 2010[22]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 42,376 people, 16,501 households, and 11,629 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 83.2 inhabitants per square mile (32.1/km2). There were 18,202 housing units at an average density of 35.7 per square mile (13.8/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% white, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.7% of the population.[23] In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 13.1% were American, 12.8% were Irish, and 9.2% were English.[24]

Of the 16,501 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 38.7 years.[23]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $53,534. Males had a median income of $38,608 versus $30,030 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,498. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[25]

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ "Jackson County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 167.
  4. ^ "This Day in History 1866: First U.S. Train robbery". Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  6. ^ National Atlas Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ GEO. "Directory Browsing is Not Allowed". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Brownstown, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  10. ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  11. ^ "Jailers let schizophrenic man starve to death in jail cell: Lawsuit - Raw Story - Celebrating 19 Years of Independent Journalism".
  12. ^ "Indiana Jail Let Man with Schizophrenia Starve to Death in Solitary, Lawsuit Alleges".
  13. ^ "Conressman Todd Young". House.Gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  14. ^ "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  15. ^ "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  17. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  19. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  20. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  21. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  22. ^ "Jackson County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  23. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  24. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  25. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.

38°55′N 86°02′W / 38.91°N 86.04°W / 38.91; -86.04