Tippecanoe County is located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana about 22 miles east of the Illinois state line and less than 50 miles from the Chicagoland area and the Indianapolis metro area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 172,780. The county seat and largest city is Lafayette. It was created in 1826 from Wabash County portion of New Purchase and unorganized territory.
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis and 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which contributes significantly to both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the core of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 224,709 in the 2021 US Census Bureau estimates.
West Lafayette is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and 113 miles (182 km) southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, Lafayette. As of the 2020 census, its population was 44,595. It is the most densely populated city in Indiana and is home to Purdue University.
The Monon Railroad, also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1971, and much of the former Monon right of way is owned today by CSX Transportation. In 1970, it operated 540 miles (870 km) of road on 792 miles (1,275 km) of track; that year it reported 1320 million ton-miles of revenue freight and zero passenger-miles.
John Purdue was a wealthy American industrialist in Lafayette, Indiana, and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University.
Prophetstown State Park commemorates a Native American village founded in 1808 by Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana, which grew into a large, multi-tribal community. The park features an open-air museum at Prophetstown, with living history exhibits including a Shawnee village and a 1920s-era farmstead. Battle Ground, Indiana, is a village about a mile east of the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, a crucial battle in Tecumseh's War which ultimately led to the demise of Prophetstown. The state park was established in 2004 and receives about 335,000 visitors annually.
Harry Guyer Leslie was an American politician and Indiana Republican Party member, speaker of the state house and the 33rd governor of the state. His term as governor was marked by the start of the Great Depression.
Jefferson High School is a high school located in Lafayette, Indiana, United States and administered by the Lafayette School Corporation. Its mascot is the Broncho and its school colors are red and black.
Wabash Township is one of thirteen townships in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 59,279 and it contained 21,448 housing units making it the most populous township in Tippecanoe County.
George Winter was an English-born landscape and portrait artist who immigrated to the United States in 1830 and became an American citizen in northern Indiana's Wabash River valley. Winter was one of Indiana's first professional artists. In addition, he is considered the state's most significant painter of the first half of the nineteenth century. Winter is especially noted for his sketches, watercolors, and oil portraits that provide a visual record of the Potawatomi and Miami people in northern Indiana from 1837 to the 1840s, as well as other figures drawn from his firsthand observations on the American frontier.
The Tippecanoe County Courthouse is located on the public square in the city of Lafayette in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The public square is located between the north-south 3rd and 4th Streets and between the east-west Main and Columbia Streets.
The Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama (BOTOD) was an outdoor historical drama held near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in Battle Ground, Indiana in the summers of 1989 and 1990. The drama was held at an amphitheater specially constructed for the production and funded by county authorization of an occupancy tax.
Centennial Neighborhood District is a national historic district located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The area originated as the Bartholomew and Davis Additions to Lafayette in 1829. Growth came rapidly after the Wabash and Erie Canal arrived in 1843. Growth continued with the arrival of the railroad in 1853. The Centennial Neighborhood Historic District takes its name from the Centennial School, which was constructed in 1876 on the centennial of the nation. The school was located on the north east corner of Brown Street at North 6th Street. The school has been removed and a park created at its original location.
Downtown Lafayette Historic District is a national historic district located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Lafayette began in 1825 as a transportation center for the west central area of Indiana. Its development and growth reflects the changes in transportation over the intervening years. From its location along the Wabash River, it grew first with river travel then for a short while from the Wabash and Erie Canal. When the railroads arrived in the 1850s, the town began to grow, initially along the rail lines. The Downtown Lafayette Historic District reflects these early changes.
St. Mary Historic District is a national historic district located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. In 1864, St. Mary's Catholic Church relocated from its original site at Fifth and Brown Streets to Columbia Street. With the move, many of the congregation also moved to this area. The Church became both a religious and social center for the neighborhood. Many of the homes date from the 1860s and 1870s and include fine examples of the Italianate, Greek Revival and Queen Anne styles as well as vernacular house types. Most of the people who built in this area were Lafayette businessmen. At 1202 Columbia Street James Ball, a local wholesale grocer left his name stamped into the front steps. Across the street is the James H. Ward House, who along with his brother, William, owned a local carpet and wallpaper business.
Anna Margaret Ross Alexander (1913–1995) was a philanthropist, who organized the first mental health fund drive in Marion County, Indiana. She was elected to the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners in 1966 during the desegregation and integration period. Under her administration as president in 1970, Indianapolis developed their desegregation plan. She was honored as Woman of the Year in 1970 by Theta Sigma Phi for her service in implementing integration and for being the only woman to have served on the board. She also served on the Tax Review Board and Historic Landmarks Foundation. She had a lifelong commitment to education and has had numerous awards named in her honor.
James H. Ward House is a historic home located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It was built about 1875, and is a two-story, Italianate / Second Empire style brick dwelling, with a 3+1⁄2-story mansard roofed tower. It features deep overhanging eaves with corner brackets, asymmetrical massing, and an ornate semi-hexagonal, two-story projecting bay. Also on the property is a contributing carriage house.
Judge Cyrus Ball House, also known as the Ball Mansion and Carriage House, is a historic home located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It was built in 1868–1869, and is a two-story, Second Empire style brick dwelling, with a three-story mansard roofed entrance tower. It sits on a limestone foundation, has intricate wood and stone detailing, and a slate roof. Also on the property is a contributing two-story, rectangular carriage house.
Ellsworth Historic District, also known as Ellsworth Addition, is a national historic district located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The district encompasses 144 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 4 contributing structures in a predominantly residential section of Lafayette. It developed between about 1844 and 1936 and includes representative examples of Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Bungalow / American Craftsman style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Falley Home, Moses Fowler House, and Temple Israel. Other notable buildings include the Second Presbyterian Church (1894-1895), Alexander House, Ball Brothers House, Falley Townhouse, Home Block, Annie Fowler House, and Duplex Townhouse.
Hiram Dodge was an American politician who served one term in the Michigan House of Representatives immediately after adoption of the state's first constitution.
