Spencer County, Indiana

Spencer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,810.^[1] The county seat is Rockport.^[2] Despite not being in the Owensboro Metropolitan Area, the entire riverfront of the city of Owensboro, Kentucky borders the southern tip of the county.

Spencer County
County
Spencer County Courthouse in Rockport
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°01′N 87°01′W / 38.01°N 87.01°W / 38.01; -87.01
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	January 10, 1818
Named for	Spier Spencer
Seat	Rockport
Largest town	Santa Claus
Area
• Total	401.43 sq mi (1,039.7 km^2)
• Land	396.74 sq mi (1,027.6 km^2)
• Water	4.68 sq mi (12.1 km^2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,810
• Density	49.9/sq mi (19.3/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	spencercounty.in.gov
Indiana county number 74

History

Spencer County was formed in 1818 from parts of Warrick County and Perry County. It was named for Captain Spier Spencer, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was also the namesake for Spencer, Indiana, the county seat of Owen County.^[3]

Abraham Lincoln lived in Spencer County from 1816 to 1830, between the ages of seven and twenty-one. Originally, the area his family settled in was in Perry County with Spencer County being formed almost two years later. His family moved to Illinois in 1830. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is located at the site of the Lincoln family farm. In addition, the graves of his mother Nancy Lincoln and sister Sarah Lincoln Grigsby are located in Spencer County.

On December 16, 1900, two African-American men, Bud Rowlands and Jim Henderson, were lynched by the county courthouse in Rockport after being arrested as suspects in the brutal robbery and killing of a white barber at 2 am the night before. A mob estimated at 1,500 broke open the jail and took them out, hanging them from a tree by the courthouse, and shooting their bodies numerous times.^[4] John Rolla was accused by Rowlands as a suspect and also lynched.^[5] This was the second-highest number of lynchings in the state, though it pales in comparison to lynchings in Southern states.^[6]

The current Spencer County courthouse was built in 1921. It is the fifth courthouse to serve the county.^[7]

County attractions include the town of Santa Claus, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, and Santa's Candy Castle.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey is located at the northeastern corner of Spencer County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 401.43 square miles (1,039.7 km²), of which 396.74 square miles (1,027.6 km²) (or 98.83%) is land and 4.68 square miles (12.1 km²) (or 1.17%) is water.^[8]

Cities and towns

ZIP Codes are in parentheses.

• Chrisney (47611)
• Dale (47523)
• Gentryville (47537)
• Grandview (47615)
• Richland City (47634)
• Rockport (47635)
• Santa Claus (47579)

Census-designated place

• St. Meinrad (47577)

Other unincorporated places

• Africa
• Bloomfield
• Buffaloville
• Centerville
• Clay City
• Enterprise
• Eureka
• Evanston (47531)
• Fulda (47531)
• Hatfield (47617)
• Huffman
• Kennedy
• Kercheval
• Lamar (47550)
• Liberal
• Lincoln City (47552)
• Mariah Hill (47556)
• Maxville
• Midway
• New Boston
• Newtonville
• Patronville
• Pigeon
• Pueblo
• Pyeattville
• Reo
• Ritchie
• Rock Hill
• Sand Ridge
• Santa Fe
• Schley
• Silverdale

Townships

• Carter
• Clay
• Grass
• Hammond
• Harrison
• Huff
• Jackson
• Luce
• Ohio

Adjacent counties

• Dubois County (north/ET Boundary)
• Daviess County, Kentucky (south)
• Perry County (east)
• Hancock County, Kentucky (southeast)
• Warrick County (west)

Major highways

•   Interstate 64
•   U.S. Route 231
•   Indiana State Road 62
•   Indiana State Road 66
•   Indiana State Road 68
•   Indiana State Road 70
•   Indiana State Road 161
•   Indiana State Road 162
•   Indiana State Road 245
•   Indiana State Road 545

National protected area

• Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Climate and weather

Rockport, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.5     43 24     3.9     49 29     4.3     59 37     4.7     70 45     4.8     79 55     3.6     87 64     3.8     91 68     3.5     90 65     3.5     83 58     3     73 46     4.1     59 37     3.9     47 29 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source:The Weather Channel^[9]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     88     6 −4     98     9 −2     108     15 3     118     21 7     121     26 13     92     31 18     97     33 20     90     32 18     89     28 14     76     23 8     104     15 3     99     8 −2 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Rockport have ranged from a low of 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 91 °F (33 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 107 °F (42 °C) was recorded in June 1944. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.01 inches (76 mm) in October to 4.78 inches (121 mm) in May.^[9]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

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.^[10][11]

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.^[10][11]

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 a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.^[11]

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.^[11]

Spencer County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Larry Bucshon.

United States presidential election results for Spencer County, Indiana^[12]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,357	68.19%	3,213	29.78%	219	2.03%
2016	6,572	65.41%	2,861	28.47%	615	6.12%
2012	5,515	56.60%	4,026	41.32%	203	2.08%
2008	5,001	49.05%	5,039	49.42%	156	1.53%
2004	5,934	59.79%	3,920	39.50%	70	0.71%
2000	5,096	56.70%	3,752	41.75%	139	1.55%
1996	3,770	43.74%	4,058	47.08%	792	9.19%
1992	3,789	39.56%	4,301	44.90%	1,489	15.54%
1988	4,964	54.82%	4,061	44.85%	30	0.33%
1984	5,816	59.07%	4,005	40.68%	25	0.25%
1980	5,284	54.45%	4,153	42.79%	268	2.76%
1976	4,166	46.34%	4,796	53.35%	28	0.31%
1972	5,518	58.61%	3,867	41.07%	30	0.32%
1968	4,603	51.18%	3,767	41.89%	623	6.93%
1964	3,980	45.05%	4,834	54.72%	20	0.23%
1960	5,050	53.88%	4,303	45.91%	20	0.21%
1956	5,404	60.31%	3,530	39.40%	26	0.29%
1952	5,497	61.48%	3,401	38.04%	43	0.48%
1948	4,496	51.52%	4,163	47.71%	67	0.77%
1944	4,986	57.40%	3,647	41.99%	53	0.61%
1940	5,667	57.31%	4,180	42.27%	42	0.42%
1936	4,567	47.20%	4,966	51.32%	143	1.48%
1932	4,014	42.24%	5,422	57.06%	67	0.71%
1928	4,672	52.83%	4,152	46.95%	20	0.23%
1924	4,395	48.59%	4,409	48.75%	241	2.66%
1920	5,270	57.03%	3,855	41.72%	115	1.24%
1916	2,560	50.34%	2,335	45.92%	190	3.74%
1912	1,268	24.80%	2,428	47.50%	1,416	27.70%
1908	2,920	51.54%	2,662	46.98%	84	1.48%
1904	3,017	53.57%	2,495	44.30%	120	2.13%
1900	2,979	50.55%	2,816	47.79%	98	1.66%
1896	3,047	52.34%	2,745	47.15%	30	0.52%
1892	2,478	47.96%	2,496	48.31%	193	3.74%
1888	2,733	50.22%	2,685	49.34%	24	0.44%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	1,882		—
1830	3,196		69.8%
1840	6,305		97.3%
1850	8,616		36.7%
1860	14,556		68.9%
1870	17,998		23.6%
1880	22,122		22.9%
1890	22,060		−0.3%
1900	22,407		1.6%
1910	20,676		−7.7%
1920	18,400		−11.0%
1930	16,713		−9.2%
1940	16,211		−3.0%
1950	16,174		−0.2%
1960	16,074		−0.6%
1970	17,134		6.6%
1980	19,361		13.0%
1990	19,490		0.7%
2000	20,391		4.6%
2010	20,952		2.8%
2020	19,810		−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[13] 1790-1960^[14] 1900-1990^[15] 1990-2000^[16] 2010^[17]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 20,952 people, 8,082 households, and 5,907 families residing in the county.^[18] The population density was 52.8 inhabitants per square mile (20.4/km²). There were 8,872 housing units at an average density of 22.4 per square mile (8.6/km²).^[8] The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.5% of the population.^[18] In terms of ancestry, 47.0% were German, 16.4% were Irish, 12.6% were English, and 11.1% were American.^[19]

Of the 8,082 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.9% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 41.9 years.^[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $61,365. Males had a median income of $44,526 versus $30,466 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,609. About 6.8% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.^[20]

Notable people

It is the birthplace of H. Justin Davidson, Ken Dilger, Del Harris, Florence Henderson, Roger Kaiser, Bill Peet, Brig General Thomas Gamble Pitcher, and Howard Schnellenberger. Another notable figure that grew up here was Abraham Lincoln, who was the 16th President of the United States.

See also

• List of public art in Spencer County, Indiana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Spencer County, Indiana

References

1. "Spencer County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp. 572.
4. Butte Weekly Miner, 20 December 1900; accessed 31 May 2018
5. Dawn Mitchell and Maureen C. Gilmer, "Last-known lynching in Indiana included in National Memorial for Peace and Justice", Indy Star, 30 April 2018; accessed 31 May 2018
6. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
7. Wissing, Douglas (March 1, 2001). Indiana. Globe Pequot. p. 24. ISBN 9781560449065. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
8. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
9. "Monthly Averages for Rockport, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
10. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
11. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
12. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
17. "Spencer County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
18. "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.
19. "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.
20. "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°01′N 87°01′W / 38.01°N 87.01°W / 38.01; -87.01