Lawrence County, Indiana

Lawrence County, Indiana
County
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°48′N86°33′W / 38.800°N 86.550°W / 38.800; -86.550
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1818
Named for	James Lawrence
County seat	Bedford
Largest city	Bedford (population and area)
Incorporated Municipalities	Three Cities and Towns Bedford (city) Mitchell (city) Oolitic (town)
Government
• Type	County
• Body	Board of Commissioners
Area
• Total	451.93 sq mi (1,170.5 km2)
• Land	449.17 sq mi (1,163.3 km2)
• Water	2.76 sq mi (7.1 km2)
• Rank	20th largest county in Indiana
Elevation [1]	502 ft (153 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	45,011
• Rank	33rd largest county in Indiana
• Density	100/sq mi (38/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes	47264, 47420-47421, 47436-47437, 47446, 47451, 47462, 47467, 47470
Area code	812 and 930
Congressional district	9th
Indiana Senate district	44th
Indiana House of Representatives districts	65th and 73rd
FIPS code	18-093
GNIS feature ID	0451703
Indiana county number 47

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 45,011. ^[2] The county seat is Bedford. ^[3] Lawrence County comprises the Bedford, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Until the Battle of Tippecanoe, the general area of Lawrence County was populated primarily by Native Americans. The first trace of white settlement in Lawrence County was near Leesville; however, Bono was the first white settlement in the county. ^[4] Lawrence County was formed in 1818 by subdividing Orange County. ^[5] The English name refers to Captain James Lawrence, ^[6] who uttered the famous words "Don't give up the ship." after being mortally wounded during the War of 1812. Prior to Lawrence County's creation, it was organized as "Leatherwood Township." On March 11, 1818, the county commissioners Ambrose Carlton, Thomas Beagley, and James Stotts, met at the home of James Gregory. On the third day of this session, the commissioners proceeded to divide the county into two civil townships: Shawswick and Spice Valley. ^{[7] [8]} Early in 1819, the board adopted a seal for Lawrence County, which was designed with a harp, a plow, three sheaves of wheat, a pair of scales, and a weathercock on top. The first county seat of Lawrence County was located at Palestine, situated on a high bluff near the East Fork of the White River. 276 lots were laid out in Palestine, which were advertised for sale on May 25, 1818. Steps were immediately taken to build a courthouse and a jail. The first courthouse of the county was log and erected in the spring of 1818. This courthouse was temporary, and steps to construct a permanent courthouse began in November 1818. It was first designed in octagonal form, with brick walls, a stone foundation, with 45 windows and to be two stories tall. The courthouse was finished in the autumn of 1821, at a total cost of $5,500 (1821 USD). ^[9] After much disease, and a tornado that swept through the area in 1820, the county approved the relocation of the county seat on February 9, 1825. The name "Bedford" was selected for the new county seat by Joseph Rawlins, a local businessman, after Bedford County, Virginia. The town was laid out on March 30, 1825, and current residents of Palestine were offered a lot in Bedford. The county records were hauled from Palestine to Bedford by Richard Evans. ^{[10] [11]} In early 1825, a temporary log courthouse was erected at Bedford. In 1831, the board of commissioners took up the matter of building a more suitable courthouse and advertised bids for a courthouse similar to the one at Salem in May, and there obtained complete plans of that structure. The old buildings at Palestine were sold, and the proceeds were to be used in the construction of the new building. The building was finished in May 1834. A fourth courthouse was built in 1872. The fifth and current courthouse was built in 1930. ^[12] Perry Township was created in May 1822, and Indian Creek Township was extended south to the river. Around the same time, Flinn Township was created. On January 23, 1826, Marion Township was created, followed by Marshall Township in June 1855. In March 1866, 180 residents petitioned for a new township, called "Morton", to be formed out of Shawswick, Bono, and Flinn, but after much thought was named Guthrie Township after an old pioneer family of the county. On January 1, 1911, Flinn Township was annexed by Shawswick, Guthrie, and Pleasant Run Townships, after the county commissioners meeting a month prior. ^[13]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 451.93 square miles (1,170.5 km²), of which 449.17 square miles (1,163.3 km²) (or 99.39%) is land and 2.76 square miles (7.1 km²) (or 0.61%) is water. ^[14]

Adjacent counties

• Monroe County (north)
• Jackson County (east)
• Washington County (southeast)
• Orange County (south)
• Martin County (west)
• Greene County (northwest)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 50
• State Road 37
• State Road 54
• State Road 58
• State Road 60
• State Road 158
• State Road 446
• State Road 450
• State Road 458

National protected area

• Hoosier National Forest (part)

Municipalities

Cities and Towns

• Bedford
• Mitchell
• Oolitic

Census-designated places

• Avoca
• Williams

Unincorporated communities

• Bartlettsville
• Bono
• Bryantsville
• Buddha
• Coveyville
• Coxton
• East Oolitic – (previously known as Spien Kopj)
• Erie
• Eureka
• Fayetteville
• Fort Ritner
• Georgia
• Guthrie
• Hartleyville
• Heltonville
• Huron
• Judah
• Lawrenceport
• Leesville
• Logan
• Moorestown
• Murdock
• Needmore
• Patton Hill
• Peerless
• Pinhook
• Popcorn
• Rabbitville
• Red Hill
• Redding
• Rivervale
• Shawswick
• Silverville
• Spring Mill Village
• Springville
• Stemm
• Stonington
• Tarry Park
• Tunnelton
• Yockey
• Zelma

Former communities

• Armstrong
• Beck's
• Bottomville
• Burton
• Caseyville
• Cross Lanes
• Dark Hollow
• Deal
• Dixonville
• Dodd
• Dog Fennel
• Fairview
• Fishing Creek
• Five Points
• Flatwood Hollow
• Genoda
• Goat Run
• Goosetown
• Grayson
• Grindstone Hollow
• Heathen Bend
• Hog Holler
• Horseshoe Bend
• Jones' Defeat
• Jugtown
• Kentucky Hollow
• Leatherwood
• Liberty
• Lickskillet
• Lookout
• Marysville
• Maul Ridge
• Miles Standish
• Morgiana
• Opposition
• Palestine
• Pattonville
• Paul
• Reed's Station
• Rockledge
• Sand Pit
• Scottville
• Sinking Spring
• Speed Hollow
• Stringtown
• Sunset
• Torphytown
• Wolf Creek ^{[15] [16]}

Townships

• Bono
• Guthrie
• Indian Creek
• Marion
• Marshall
• Perry
• Pleasant Run
• Shawswick
• Spice Valley

Local sights

• Joe Palooka Statue – a statue of a comic strip character Joe Palooka, dedicated in 1948, is located near the town hall in Oolitic.
• Spring Mill State Park is located near Mitchell

Astronauts

Lawrence County has had several native residents that have become astronauts over the years. They include:

• Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom was born and raised in Mitchell; was killed in the Apollo 1 accident
• Charles "Charlie" Walker was born and raised in Bedford.
• Kenneth "Kenny" Bowersox was born in Virginia but was raised in Bedford

The Virgil I. Gus Grissom Memorial, located at the Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell, has many mementos of his career, including the space capsule he commanded, "The Molly Brown" from Gemini 3. ^[17]

Climate and weather

Bedford, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8     37 18     2.7     43 22     3.8     53 31     4.5     64 40     5     74 51     4.1     82 60     4.5     86 64     4.2     85 62     3.1     79 53     3.2     67 41     3.9     54 33     3.3     42 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [18]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     70     3 −8     69     6 −6     96     12 −1     114     18 4     128     23 11     104     28 16     115     30 18     107     29 17     79     26 12     82     19 5     100     12 1     84     6 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Bedford have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1930. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.04 inches (128 mm) in May. ^[18]

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. ^{[19] [20]}

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. ^{[19] [20]}

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. ^[20]

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. ^[20]

Lawrence County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 44; ^[21] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 65 and 73. ^[22]

United States presidential election results for Lawrence County, Indiana ^{[23] [24]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	15,830	74.60%	5,010	23.61%	380	1.79%
2020	15,601	74.04%	4,961	23.54%	509	2.42%
2016	14,035	72.95%	4,210	21.88%	993	5.16%
2012	11,622	65.04%	5,779	32.34%	469	2.62%
2008	11,018	59.45%	7,208	38.89%	308	1.66%
2004	12,207	68.97%	5,346	30.21%	145	0.82%
2000	10,677	66.14%	5,071	31.41%	394	2.44%
1996	8,107	50.64%	5,703	35.62%	2,199	13.74%
1992	7,712	45.96%	5,557	33.11%	3,512	20.93%
1988	10,742	64.71%	5,787	34.86%	70	0.42%
1984	11,440	66.71%	5,608	32.70%	102	0.59%
1980	10,846	62.71%	5,826	33.68%	624	3.61%
1976	9,278	53.20%	7,908	45.34%	254	1.46%
1972	10,936	71.55%	4,278	27.99%	70	0.46%
1968	8,830	54.35%	5,349	32.92%	2,069	12.73%
1964	8,186	48.28%	8,677	51.17%	93	0.55%
1960	11,119	61.15%	6,977	38.37%	86	0.47%
1956	11,090	63.93%	6,197	35.73%	59	0.34%
1952	11,296	64.64%	6,044	34.59%	135	0.77%
1948	8,643	58.13%	6,131	41.23%	95	0.64%
1944	9,200	63.38%	5,246	36.14%	69	0.48%
1940	10,717	61.92%	6,553	37.86%	38	0.22%
1936	9,982	54.91%	8,062	44.35%	134	0.74%
1932	8,314	49.66%	8,215	49.07%	212	1.27%
1928	9,844	68.70%	4,428	30.90%	57	0.40%
1924	7,438	60.70%	4,414	36.02%	402	3.28%
1920	6,808	58.15%	4,709	40.22%	191	1.63%
1916	3,813	52.55%	3,108	42.83%	335	4.62%
1912	1,633	23.87%	2,579	37.70%	2,628	38.42%
1908	3,884	53.77%	3,118	43.16%	222	3.07%
1904	3,924	57.93%	2,672	39.44%	178	2.63%
1900	3,535	57.07%	2,558	41.30%	101	1.63%
1896	3,103	55.70%	2,421	43.46%	47	0.84%
1892	2,529	52.11%	2,134	43.97%	190	3.92%
1888	2,256	55.24%	1,814	44.42%	14	0.34%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	4,116		—
1830	9,234		124.3%
1840	11,782		27.6%
1850	12,097		2.7%
1860	13,692		13.2%
1870	14,628		6.8%
1880	18,543		26.8%
1890	19,792		6.7%
1900	25,729		30.0%
1910	30,625		19.0%
1920	28,228		−7.8%
1930	35,583		26.1%
1940	35,045		−1.5%
1950	34,346		−2.0%
1960	36,564		6.5%
1970	38,038		4.0%
1980	42,472		11.7%
1990	42,836		0.9%
2000	45,922		7.2%
2010	46,134		0.5%
2020	45,011		−2.4%
2023 (est.)	45,084	[25]	0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [26] 1790-1960 [27] 1900-1990 [28] 1990-2000 [29] 2010 [30]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 46,134 people, 18,811 households, and 12,906 families residing in the county. ^[31] The population density was 102.7 inhabitants per square mile (39.7/km²). There were 21,074 housing units at an average density of 46.9 per square mile (18.1/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. ^[31] In terms of ancestry, 18.4% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 13.1% were American, and 10.4% were English. ^[32]

Of the 18,811 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.6 years. ^[31]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $50,355. Males had a median income of $42,337 versus $30,386 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,352. About 10.9% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over. ^[33]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lawrence County, Indiana

References

1. "Lawrence County". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Lawrence County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 2, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "History of Lawrence County, Indiana". INGenWeb. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
5. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  64.
6. History of Lawrence, Orange, and Washington Counties, Indiana: From the Earliest Time to the Present, Together with Interesting Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. Higginson Book Company. 1884. p.  34.
7. "Lawrence County's Bicentennial". Limestone County. August 20, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
8. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  66.
9. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  77-79.
10. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  73-75.
11. Buher, Becky. "Bedford was second county seat". Hoosier Times. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
12. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  79-80.
13. History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. B.F. Bowen. 1914. p.  67-70.
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
15. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 3, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
16. "Lawrence County Indiana INGenWeb | newspaper articles April 24, 1856". Ingenweb.org. October 31, 1997. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
17. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9780 , Virgil I. Gus Grissom Memorial
18. "Monthly Averages for Bedford, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
19. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
20. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
21. "Indiana Senate Districts" (PDF). State of Indiana. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
22. "Indiana House Districts" (PDF). State of Indiana. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
24. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 2,106 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 398 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 91 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 33 votes.
25. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
26. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
27. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
28. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
29. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
30. "Lawrence County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
31. "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.
32. "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.
33. "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.

External links

• Lawrence County Sheriff's Office