Tipton County
County
Tipton County Courthouse
Tipton County Courthouse
Map of Indiana highlighting Tipton County
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°19′N 86°03′W / 40.31°N 86.05°W / 40.31; -86.05
Country United States
State Indiana
FoundedJanuary 15, 1844
Named forJohn Tipton
SeatTipton
Largest cityTipton
Area
 • Total260.57 sq mi (674.9 km2)
 • Land260.54 sq mi (674.8 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)  0.01%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total15,359
 • Density59/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district5th
Indiana county number 80
FIPS Code 159

Tipton County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located north of the state capital of Indianapolis. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,359.[1] Its county seat is Tipton.[2] The county has four incorporated towns with a total population of about 7,000,[3] as well as many small unincorporated communities. It is divided into six townships which provide local services.[4][5] Three Indiana state roads and one U.S. Route cross the county,[6] as do two railroad lines.[7] Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1844, one of the last Indiana counties to be settled. Tipton and Howard Counties were established by the same legislative action on January 15.

History

Prior to the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the 1830s, the area of Tipton County was inhabited by the Miami and Delaware tribes.[8] Tipton County was formed in 1844. It was named for John Tipton, a soldier of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Tipton served as United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 until shortly before his death in 1839.[9] The first murder in the county occurred in October 1851. Harvey Moon killed Andrew Hornbeck with a knife. Moon was tried in Indianapolis, as a jury could not be empaneled in Tipton County. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He escaped prison and was not recaptured.[10]

Courthouse

The first Tipton County Courthouse was a two-story frame building. It was planned in early 1845 and was completed by the end of the year at a cost of about $1200.[n 1] It was expanded the following year. By 1858 a new courthouse was needed, and the brick building was completed by 1859 at a cost of approximately $15,000.[n 2][12] The present courthouse was designed by Adolph Sherrer. He had taken over the Indiana Statehouse project when architect Edwin May died in 1880; five years after the completion of that project in 1888, Scherrer began work on the Tipton building, which was built of sandstone in a Romanesque style with a clock tower of 206 feet elevation including the flagstaff on top. It was built 1893-94 by Pierce and Morgan of Indianapolis at a cost of $170,988.[n 3] It is one of several Romanesque courthouses dating from the 1890s that are still in use.[13]

Geography

Map of Tipton County

Tipton County falls near the center of Indiana. Most of the county consists of level till plain with elevations from 850 feet (260 m) to 900 feet (270 m) above sea level.[14] Prior to settlement by non-indigenous people, it was mostly covered with dense forests consisting of oak, beech, maple, walnut, hickory, sycamore and tulip trees. The southern part of the county has better natural drainage, and this area was first cleared for agriculture. Much of the rest of the county tended to be swampy due to the level ground and lack of sufficient natural waterways, so drainage channels had to be dug to make the land suitable for farming.[15] According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 260.57 square miles (674.9 km2), of which 260.54 square miles (674.8 km2) (or 99.99%) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.078 km2) (or 0.01%) is water.[16]

Adjacent counties

Incorporated communities

  • Tipton – the county seat, near the county center. Its 2010 population was 5,106.[17]
  • Kempton – near the western border, in Jefferson Township. Its 2010 population was 335.[18]
  • Sharpsville – near the northern border, in Liberty Township. Its 2010 population was 607.[19]
  • Windfall - in northeast corner of the county, in Wildcat Township. Its 2010 population was 708.[20]

The city of Elwood lies in Madison County to the east and extends slightly over the border; as of the 2000 census, seven Elwood residents lived in Tipton County.[3]

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Climate and weather

Tipton, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
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1.9
 
 
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1.7
 
 
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2.9
 
 
76
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2.5
 
 
64
40
 
 
3.2
 
 
49
31
 
 
2.9
 
 
37
21
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source:The Weather Channel[22]
Metric conversion
J
F
M
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J
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49
 
 
−1
−9
 
 
42
 
 
3
−7
 
 
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18
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82
 
 
9
−1
 
 
75
 
 
3
−6
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

Tipton County is in the humid continental climate region of the United States along with most of Indiana. Its Köppen climate classification is Dfa,[23] meaning that it is cold, has no dry season, and has a hot summer.[24] In recent years, average temperatures in Tipton have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 98 °F (37 °C) was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.67 inches (42 mm) in February to 4.24 inches (108 mm) in June.[22] From 1950 through 2009, 13 tornadoes were reported in Tipton County, resulting in two deaths and several injuries; the total estimated property damage was over $3 million.[25]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18503,532—
18608,170131.3%
187011,95346.3%
188014,40720.5%
189018,15726.0%
190019,1165.3%
191017,459−8.7%
192016,152−7.5%
193015,208−5.8%
194015,135−0.5%
195015,5662.8%
196015,8561.9%
197016,6505.0%
198016,8191.0%
199016,119−4.2%
200016,5772.8%
201015,936−3.9%
202015,359−3.6%
2021 (est.)15,372[26]0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[27]
1790–1960[28] 1900–1990[29]
1990–2000[30] 2010[31]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 15,936 people, 6,376 households, and 4,517 families residing in the county.[32] The population density was 61.2 inhabitants per square mile (23.6/km2). There were 6,998 housing units at an average density of 26.9 per square mile (10.4/km2).[16] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population.[32] In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 14.5% were American, 12.3% were English, and 9.6% were Irish.[33] Of the 6,376 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 42.6 years.[32] The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $61,115. Males had a median income of $42,763 versus $29,832 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,499. About 3.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.[34]

Another view of the courthouse
Tipton County jail

Economy

Tipton County's economy is supported by a labor force of about 7700 workers with an unemployment rate in December 2015 of 3.8%.[35]

Agriculture

Historically, Tipton County's economy has been agriculturally based. In 1914, the county had 2,067 working farms and 166,400 acres of farm land.[36] The early settlers raised corn, wheat, oats, rye, flax, and potatoes, with alfalfa in the prairie areas.[37] Fruit was profitable in the county before 1880, but blight lessened yield and fruit growing nearly halted.[38] The Tipton County Agricultural Society was organized in August 1855. They held the first county fair that October. It was described as a "failure," and was followed by another unsuccessful fair the following year. That organization was dissolved, another formed, only to be dissolved again. A third organization, the Tipton County Joint-Stock Agricultural Society formed in 1874.[39] That organization eventually failed and finally, the Tipton County Fair Company was formed in 1879.[40] By the early 20th century, corn and wheat were primary crops.[41]

Banking

Vickrey Bank, founded in the 1880s, was the county's first bank. It became Union Bank, and later Farmers Loan and Trust. In 1876, the Tipton County Bank was founded. It merged with First National Bank in 1902. Other county banks included Citizens National Bank (1898), Farmers Loan and Trust Company (1906), People's State Bank (1892), Sharpsville Bank (1902), and State Bank of Kempton (1900). None of these banks exists today. Farmers' State Bank was formed in 1914 and remains in business today as First Farmers Bank & Trust.[42]

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code. The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms and 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.[43][44]

A board of commissioners forms the county's executive body. They are elected county–wide, in four–year staggered terms. One commissioner serves as board president. The board executes the acts legislated by the council, collects revenue, and manages the day-to-day running of county government.[43][44] The county maintains a small claims court for civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[44] 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 be residents of the county.[44] Each township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties.[5] The trustee is assisted by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms.[45] Tipton County is part of Indiana's 5th congressional district; Indiana Senate districts 20 and 21;[46] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 32 and 35.[47]

United States presidential election results for Tipton County, Indiana[48]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 6,110 75.21% 1,834 22.58% 180 2.22%
2016 5,589 74.42% 1,587 21.13% 334 4.45%
2012 4,773 64.74% 2,432 32.99% 168 2.28%
2008 4,452 56.80% 3,250 41.46% 136 1.74%
2004 5,628 71.31% 2,203 27.91% 61 0.77%
2000 4,784 65.39% 2,392 32.70% 140 1.91%
1996 3,980 53.89% 2,478 33.55% 927 12.55%
1992 3,906 49.55% 2,125 26.96% 1,852 23.49%
1988 5,148 67.15% 2,485 32.42% 33 0.43%
1984 5,687 70.48% 2,328 28.85% 54 0.67%
1980 5,150 63.81% 2,547 31.56% 374 4.63%
1976 4,776 57.35% 3,428 41.16% 124 1.49%
1972 5,674 72.67% 2,095 26.83% 39 0.50%
1968 4,270 54.73% 2,646 33.91% 886 11.36%
1964 3,863 46.45% 4,410 53.03% 43 0.52%
1960 4,924 59.88% 3,299 40.12% 0 0.00%
1956 4,939 59.47% 3,320 39.98% 46 0.55%
1952 5,299 60.59% 3,362 38.44% 84 0.96%
1948 4,169 50.78% 3,925 47.81% 116 1.41%
1944 4,296 54.77% 3,427 43.70% 120 1.53%
1940 4,749 52.90% 4,173 46.48% 56 0.62%
1936 3,842 43.96% 4,796 54.88% 101 1.16%
1932 3,680 42.19% 4,898 56.15% 145 1.66%
1928 4,774 59.30% 3,186 39.58% 90 1.12%
1924 4,183 51.33% 3,660 44.91% 307 3.77%
1920 4,357 51.43% 3,956 46.69% 159 1.88%
1916 2,166 45.32% 2,337 48.90% 276 5.78%
1912 1,262 26.92% 2,185 46.61% 1,241 26.47%
1908 2,395 46.45% 2,556 49.57% 205 3.98%
1904 2,654 50.75% 2,279 43.58% 297 5.68%
1900 2,410 47.26% 2,436 47.77% 253 4.96%
1896 2,263 44.07% 2,816 54.84% 56 1.09%
1892 1,788 39.80% 2,008 44.70% 696 15.49%
1888 2,042 44.93% 2,370 52.15% 133 2.93%

Education

History

In 1889, county schools had a total enrollment of 6,225. There were a total of 84 schools across the county. The majority of teachers were male, totaling 81 male and 19 female teachers. They were paid approximately $2 per day. By 1914, the school enrollment totaled 3,701 students, with 65 schools across the county. There were five high schools located across the township in Sharpsville, Tipton, Kempton, Goldsmith and Windfall. There were 218 teachers. They were paid $3.19 a day.[49]

Present

Tipton County has six schools, managed by three school corporations.[50] The Tipton Community School Corporation includes an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located in Tipton; these schools served a total of 1,821 students during the 2009–2010 school year.[51] In the north part of the county, Tri-Central Community Schools (formerly Northern Community Schools) includes an elementary school and Tri-Central Middle/High School, both located in Sharpsville; these schools served a total of 970 students in 2009–2010.[52] Saint John the Baptist School was located in Tipton and was part of the Diocese of Lafayette Catholic Schools; it was an elementary school and served 82 students during the 2009–2010 school year.,[53] but it closed in 2014 due to declining enrollment.

Media

The county's first newspaper was the Tipton County Democrat in 1855. It became the Western Dominion in 1857. In 1858, G.W. Fisher bought the paper and changed its name to the Tipton County Times.[54] The paper's name was changed again in 1862 to the Democratic Union, and then back to the Tipton County Times in 1869. The Tipton Republican was founded in 1860.[55] The newspaper closed when the editor in chief joined the Union Army. Other early newspapers included the Enterprise (1872), the Tipton Advance, (1874), a second Tipton Republican (1876), The Advocate (1878), the Windfall Herald (1891), the Kempton Courier (1907), the Saturday Express (1882), and the Windfall News (1876). None of these papers exists today.[56] The Tipton County Tribune was founded in 1895. The paper continues to be published today.[57][58]

Transportation

Highways

  • US Route 31 – runs north–south through the middle–western part of the county, passing through Tetersburg.[59]
  • State Road 19 – runs north–south through the middle of the county, passing through Tipton.[60]
  • State Road 28 – runs east–west through the lower central part of the county, passing through Tipton.[61]
  • State Road 213 – runs north–south through the middle–eastern part of the county, passing through Windfall.[62]

Though they do not run through the county, three other state roads touch its southeastern corner:

Railroads

Two Norfolk Southern Railway routes run through the county. One line connects Muncie in the east with Frankfort in the west. The other connects Logansport and Kokomo in the north with Indianapolis in the south. The two lines intersect in Tipton.[7]

Notable people from Tipton County

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A $1,200 capital expense in 1845 would be roughly equivalent to $602,000 in 2010.[11]
  2. ↑ A $15,000 capital expense in 1858 would be roughly equivalent to $5,200,000 in 2010.[11]
  3. ↑ A $171,000 capital expense in 1894 would be roughly equivalent to $39,000,000 in 2010.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Tipton County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County – Tipton County IN". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Tipton County, Indiana – County Subdivision and Place. GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Tipton". Indiana Township Association. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Duties". United Township Association of Indiana. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Indiana Transportation Map 2009–2010" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  7. 1 2 "State of Indiana 2011 Rail System Map" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  8. ↑ Goodspeed 1883, pp. 1–2.
  9. ↑ Goodrich, De Witt Clinton; Tuttle, Charles Richard (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indianapolis: R. S. Peale & Co. p. 574.
  10. ↑ Pershing, M.W. (1914). History of Tipton County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. p. 248. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 Williamson, Samuel H. (April 2010). Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present. MeasuringWorth. Calculations made using Nominal GDP Per Capita, a measure of capital intensivity, using "the 'average' per-person output of the economy in the prices of the current year." This is a measure of the amount of capital and volume of labor required to reproduce the work over varying production methods, but assuming that money represents a proportion of the economy.
  12. ↑ Goodspeed 1883, pp. 18–20.
  13. ↑ Counts, Will; Jon Dilts (1991). The 92 Magnificent Indiana Courthouses. Bloomington IN: Indiana University Press. pp. 166–7. ISBN 978-0-253-33638-5.
  14. ↑ Hurst 1914, p. 1–2.
  15. ↑ Hurst 1914, p. 10.
  16. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau]]. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ "QuickFacts – Tipton City IN". US Census Bureau]]. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  18. ↑ "2010 Census Population of Kempton IN". US Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Sharpsville IN Population". US Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Windfall City Census Population". US Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  21. ↑ United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Populated places in Tipton County IN". Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Tipton IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Köppen Climate Classification for the Conterminous United States". Idaho State Climate Services. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  24. ↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Copernicus Publications. p. 1636. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Tipton County Tornadoes, 1950–2009". National Weather Service. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  26. ↑ "QuickFacts Tipton County, Indiana". Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  27. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Tipton County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  32. 1 2 3 "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  35. ↑ STATS Indiana. "InDepth Profile: Tipton County IN". Indiana Business Research Center. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  36. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 214
  37. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 215
  38. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 219
  39. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 221
  40. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 222
  41. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 216
  42. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 237
  43. 1 2 Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". Government of Indiana. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  44. 1 2 3 4 Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). Government of Indiana. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 27, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  45. ↑ "Government". United Township Association of Indiana. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  48. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  49. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 195
  50. ↑ "Tipton County School Corporations". Indiana Department of Education. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  51. ↑ "Tipton Community School Corp - Overview". Indiana Department of Education. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  52. ↑ "Tri-Central Community Schools - Overview". Indiana Department of Education. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  53. ↑ "Saint John the Baptist School - Overview". Indiana Department of Education. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  54. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 223
  55. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 224
  56. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 226
  57. ↑ Pershing 1914, p. 228
  58. ↑ Elwood Publishing Co. Tipton County Tribune
  59. ↑ "US Route 31". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  60. ↑ "State Road 19". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  61. ↑ "State Road 28". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  62. ↑ "State Road 213". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  63. ↑ "State Road 13". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  64. ↑ "State Road 37". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  65. ↑ "State Road 128". Highway Explorer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  66. ↑ "Babe Adams". Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  67. ↑ "John Bunch". Retrieved November 17, 2011.

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