Ripley County, Indiana

Ripley County
County
Ripley County Courthouse in Versailles
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°06′N85°16′W / 39.1°N 85.26°W / 39.1; -85.26
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	December 27, 1816
Named for	Eleazer Wheelock Ripley
Seat	Versailles
Largest city	Batesville
Area
• Total	448.06 sq mi (1,160.5 km2)
• Land	446.43 sq mi (1,156.2 km2)
• Water	1.64 sq mi (4.2 km2)  0.37%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,995
• Density	65/sq mi (25/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	http://www.ripleycounty.com/
Indiana county number 69 FIPS Code 137

Ripley County is a county located at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 28,995. ^[1] The county seat is Versailles. ^[2]

History

Ripley County was formed on December 27, 1816, in the same legislative act that created Jennings County. It was named for Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, an officer in the War of 1812, who figured in the Battle of Lundy's Lane and the Siege of Fort Erie during 1814. ^[3]

Geography

The county seat of Ripley County is Versailles, Indiana. It was selected as the county seat in 1818, and was laid out in 1819.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 448.06 square miles (1,160.5 km²), of which 446.43 square miles (1,156.2 km²) (or 99.64%) is land and 1.64 square miles (4.2 km²) (or 0.37%) is water. ^[4]

Overview of townships ^[5]

Township	Established Year	Area mi2	Area km2	Population	Incorporated Towns
Adams	1858	43.79	113.42	5119	Batesville (part), Sunman
Brown	1823	53.67	139	1597
Center	1858	29.51	76.43	2657	Osgood
Delaware	1823	33.27	86.17	1437
Franklin	1823	36.6	94.79	3773	Milan (part)
Jackson	1823	29.87	77.36	965	Napoleon
Johnson	1823	54.98	142.4	3685	Versailles
Laughery	1819	25.97	67.26	4736	Batesville (part)
Otter Creek	1858	41.69	107.98	1410	Holton
Shelby	1823	69.39	179.72	999
Washington	1823	29.33	75.96	2440	Milan (part)
Ripley County	1816	448.06	1160.471	28,181

Unincorporated communities

• Allen Crossing
• Ballstown
• Behlmer Corner
• Benham
• Clinton
• Correct
• Cross Plains
• Cross Roads
• Dabney
• Delaware
• Dewberry
• Elrod
• Friendship
• Haney Corner
• Jackson
• Jolleyville
• Laugheryville
• Lookout
• Morris
• Negangards Corner
• New Carrollton
• New Marion
• Old Milan
• Olean
• Otter Village
• Penntown
• Pierceville
• Prattsburg
• Rexville
• Spades
• Stringtown
• Stumpke Corner

Ghost towns

• Saint Magdalen

Adjacent counties

• Dearborn County (east)
• Decatur County (northwest)
• Franklin County (north)
• Jefferson County (south)
• Jennings County (west)
• Ohio County (east–southeast)
• Switzerland County (at southeast tip)

Major highways

• Interstate 74 – runs east–west across northern tip of county.
• US Route 50 – runs east–west across middle of county, through Holton and Versailles.
• US Route 421 - enters from Decatur County near northwest tip of Ripley County. Runs SSE to Versailles, then SSW into Jefferson County.
• State Road 46 – runs east–west across northern tip of county, paralleling Interstate 74 on its south side.
• State Road 48 – runs east–west across upper portion of county, through Napoleon.
• State Road 62 – begins at intersection with State Road 129, north of Cross Plains. Runs east through Friendship to Dearborn County.
• State Road 101 – begins at intersection with US Route 50 near east county line. Runs north to Penntown.
• State Road 129 – begins at intersection with State Road 46 east of Batesville, runs south to Versailles, then SSE through Cross Plains into Switzerland County.
• State Road 229 – enters from Franklin County at Batesville, runs SSW to Ballstown then south and west to Napoleon. Runs west to Decatur County.
• State Road 350 – begins at intersection with US 421 at Osgood, runs east through Delaware and Pierceville into Dearborn County. ^[6]

National protected area

• Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

Versailles, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.1     35 18     2.7     40 21     3.8     51 30     4.1     62 38     5.3     71 47     4     79 57     3.9     84 61     4.6     82 59     2.9     76 51     3     65 40     3.1     52 32     3.5     40 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [7]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     79     2 −8     69     4 −6     96     11 −1     104     17 3     134     22 8     102     26 14     100     29 16     116     28 15     74     24 11     76     18 4     78     11 0     88     4 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Versailles have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 100 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.71 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.27 inches (134 mm) in May. ^[7]

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, serving 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. ^{[8] [9]}

Board of Commissioners: The Board of Commissioners is the executive body of the county. Commissioners are elected county–wide in staggered four–year terms. One commissioner serves as board president. They are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. ^{[8] [9]}

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. ^[9]

State Government: At the State level, Ripley County is divided in its representation. Adams and Laughery Townships are located in the 55th House District which is represented by Rep. Cindy Ziemke. The rest of Ripley County is located in the 67th district represented by Rep. Randy Frye. Adams and Laughery Townships are in the 42nd Senate District represented by State Senator Jean Leising. The rest of Ripley County is in Senate District 43 represented by Senator Chip Perfect.

Federal Government: Ripley County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Greg Pence. Along with the rest of Indiana, its senators are Mike Braun and Todd Young.

United States presidential election results for Ripley County, Indiana ^[10]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,261	78.79%	2,774	19.41%	257	1.80%
2016	9,806	75.81%	2,471	19.10%	658	5.09%
2012	7,484	67.94%	3,241	29.42%	290	2.63%
2008	7,794	63.71%	4,187	34.22%	253	2.07%
2004	8,224	69.49%	3,510	29.66%	100	0.85%
2000	6,988	65.46%	3,498	32.77%	189	1.77%
1996	5,303	49.67%	4,097	38.38%	1,276	11.95%
1992	5,033	46.02%	3,480	31.82%	2,424	22.16%
1988	6,414	63.81%	3,605	35.87%	32	0.32%
1984	7,143	67.99%	3,336	31.75%	27	0.26%
1980	5,770	56.39%	4,022	39.30%	441	4.31%
1976	5,293	52.11%	4,792	47.18%	72	0.71%
1972	6,594	64.45%	3,601	35.20%	36	0.35%
1968	5,389	51.82%	3,787	36.42%	1,223	11.76%
1964	4,587	43.47%	5,933	56.23%	32	0.30%
1960	6,053	55.95%	4,730	43.72%	35	0.32%
1956	6,577	61.85%	4,026	37.86%	30	0.28%
1952	6,650	62.00%	4,031	37.59%	44	0.41%
1948	5,313	53.34%	4,574	45.92%	74	0.74%
1944	5,642	59.12%	3,835	40.18%	67	0.70%
1940	6,061	55.44%	4,834	44.21%	38	0.35%
1936	4,919	45.98%	5,546	51.84%	233	2.18%
1932	4,240	40.97%	5,987	57.86%	121	1.17%
1928	5,059	53.39%	4,387	46.30%	30	0.32%
1924	4,694	49.02%	4,257	44.45%	625	6.53%
1920	5,372	56.83%	3,976	42.07%	104	1.10%
1916	2,686	49.88%	2,549	47.34%	150	2.79%
1912	1,492	29.43%	2,431	47.95%	1,147	22.62%
1908	2,660	47.65%	2,749	49.25%	173	3.10%
1904	2,850	52.29%	2,457	45.08%	143	2.62%
1900	2,737	49.20%	2,732	49.11%	94	1.69%
1896	2,690	49.60%	2,714	50.05%	19	0.35%
1892	2,250	45.17%	2,442	49.03%	289	5.80%
1888	2,404	49.77%	2,381	49.30%	45	0.93%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	1,822		—
1830	3,989		118.9%
1840	10,392		160.5%
1850	14,820		42.6%
1860	19,054		28.6%
1870	20,977		10.1%
1880	21,627		3.1%
1890	19,350		−10.5%
1900	19,881		2.7%
1910	19,452		−2.2%
1920	18,694		−3.9%
1930	18,078		−3.3%
1940	18,898		4.5%
1950	18,763		−0.7%
1960	20,641		10.0%
1970	21,138		2.4%
1980	24,398		15.4%
1990	24,616		0.9%
2000	26,523		7.7%
2010	28,818		8.7%
2020	28,995		0.6%
2023 (est.)	29,227	[11]	0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790-1960 [13] 1900-1990 [14] 1990-2000 [15] 2010 [16]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,818 people, 10,789 households, and 7,910 families residing in the county. ^[17] The population density was 64.6 inhabitants per square mile (24.9/km²). There were 11,952 housing units at an average density of 26.8 per square mile (10.3/km²). ^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. ^[17] In terms of ancestry, 43.4% were German, 14.2% were American, 13.9% were Irish, and 8.7% were English. ^[18]

Of the 10,789 households, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 39.2 years. ^[17]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,305. Males had a median income of $41,711 versus $31,927 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,025. About 7.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. ^[19]

See also

• List of counties in Indiana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ripley County, Indiana
• - Ripley County website
• Ripley County in Indiana portal

References

1. "Ripley 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. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
5. Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
6. Ripley County IA Google Maps (accessed 16 August 2018)
7. "Monthly Averages for Versailles, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
8. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
9. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
10. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
16. "Ripley County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
17. "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.
18. "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.
19. "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.

External links

• Ripley County, Indiana collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library

39°06′N85°16′W / 39.10°N 85.26°W / 39.10; -85.26