Warren County is a county on the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 8,419. The county seat is Williamsport.

History

The county was established March 1, 1827 by the Indiana General Assembly. It was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, killed in 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which he fought as a private because his commission as a general had not yet taken effect. The short-lived town of Warrenton was the original Warren County seat, chosen by commissioners in March 1828. The next year, however, an act was passed calling for it to be relocated, and in June 1829 it was moved to Williamsport.

Williamsport was, from 1879 to 1896, the home of James Frank Hanly, who was the Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909.

Courthouse

Warren County has had four courthouses in its history. A log house belonging to William Harrison served as a courthouse until 1834, when the first permanent courthouse was constructed at a cost of $2000. This building served until 1872 when a new building was constructed in what is now known as "Old Town", the original portion of Williamsport that was on the shores of the Wabash River; this building cost $50,000. In 1886 it was torn down and rebuilt as the third courthouse on the current site, in the newer portion of town that had developed because of the railroad. This wood-frame courthouse had a 155-foot tower. Early on the morning of Sunday, January 20, 1907, the building caught fire and was largely destroyed, though most of the records were saved.

The current courthouse was designed by J. W. Royer of Urbana, Illinois and was constructed by Frank Jahn of Champaign, Illinois and L. N. Cope of Decatur, Illinois at a cost of $115,000. Following the fire of January 1907, construction of the new building was under way by October, during the term of Governor Hanly; it was built primarily of stone, with stairs made of iron and marble.

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 legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. 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.

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, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

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 four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

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 serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 367 square miles (949 km²); 365 square miles (945 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.47%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Benton County (north)
• Tippecanoe County (east)
• Fountain County (southeast)
• Vermillion County (south)
• Vermilion County, Illinois (west)

Cities and towns

• Pine Village
• State Line City
• West Lebanon
• Williamsport

Unincorporated towns

Carbondale Foster Green Hill Hedrick Independence	Johnsonville Judyville Kramer Marshfield Pence	Rainsville Stewart Tab Winthrop

Extinct towns

Baltimore Brisco Chatterton Chesapeake	Dresser Kickapoo Locust Grove Point Pleasant	Sloan Walnut Grove Warrenton

Townships

There were originally four townships when the county was formed in 1827; they were Medina, Mound, Pike, and Warren. The county is now divided into twelve townships.

Adams Jordan Kent Liberty	Medina Mound Pike Pine	Prairie Steuben Warren Washington

Major highways

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 136 Indiana State Road 26 Indiana State Road 28	Indiana State Road 55 Indiana State Road 63 Indiana State Road 263 Indiana State Road 352

Railroads

• Bee Line Railroad
• Norfolk Southern Railway
• Vermillion Valley Railroad

Education

The county's four public schools are administered by the Metropolitan School District of Warren County.

• Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High School
• Pine Village Elementary School
• Warren Central Elementary School
• Williamsport Elementary School

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,419 people, 3,219 households, and 2,423 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,477 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.09% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.7% were of American, 23.5% German, 12.2% English and 10.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 3,219 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.70% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,825, and the median income for a family was $48,647. Males had a median income of $35,444 versus $21,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,070. About 4.00% of families and 6.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

References

• Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
• Warren County Historical Society (1966), A History of Warren County, Indiana.
• Warren County Historical Society (2002), A History of Warren County, Indiana (175th Anniversary Edition)

External links

• Warren County Indiana Community Network
• Metropolitan School District of Warren County
• Warren County Historical Records Database