Rockford, Jackson County, Indiana

Rockford, Jackson County, Indiana
Unincorporated community and Census-designated place
Rockford Show map of Indiana Rockford Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°59′10″N85°53′13″W / 38.98611°N 85.88694°W / 38.98611; -85.88694
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Jackson
Township	Redding
Area [1]
• Total	0.884 sq mi (2.29 km2)
• Land	0.854 sq mi (2.21 km2)
• Water	0.030 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation [2]	617 ft (188 m)
ZIP code	47274
FIPS code	18-65376 [1]
GNIS feature ID	2830420 [2]

Rockford is an unincorporated community in Redding Township, Jackson County, Indiana.

History

Rockford was named for the "rocky ford" of the East Fork of the White River where easier crossing was permitted by a rock river bottom.

The village is approximately 1 mile west of Tipton Island along the White River. The area was first settled in about 1813 by James Reno, who was the grandfather of the infamous Reno Gang.

The small community was known as New Rockford and Old Rockford in the 1840s.

In 1852, the terminus of the north-south Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad was in Rockford. ^[3]

It was known as a pork packing center and had several established businesses such as a grist mill, post office, Masonic Lodge and a newspaper.

The last newspaper, the Rockford Herald, was printed by Dr Jasper Monroe in 1857. He was persuaded to move to nearby Seymour, Indiana by the town's founder, Meedy Shields, where he published under the name Seymour Times.¹

Meedy Shields, through skillful maneuvering, succeeded in getting a new east-west rail stop of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad two miles south of Rockford, which spelled eventual economic doom.

Most original structures were burned out in the 1860s and much of the unkept property was owned by the Reno family. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2023 (est.)	761	[5]

The United States Census Bureau defined Rockford as a census designated place in the 2022 American Community Survey. ^[6]

References

1. "2024 Gazeteer - Indiana". United States Census Bureau .
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rockford Census Designated Palce
3. History of Jackson County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time to the Present. Unigraphic. 1886. p. 435.
4. The Masked Halters by Edwin J Boley 1977, rare - out of print
5. "B03002 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – Rockford CDP – 2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
6. "2022 Geography Changes". United States Census Bureau.

Further reading

See wiki's Reno Gang page for external links which describe the eventual demise and criminal activity in and around Rockford in the 1860s.

External links

• History of Jackson Masonic Lodge 146

Geography

Rockford is located at 38°59′14″N85°53′29″W / 38.98722°N 85.89139°W / 38.98722; -85.89139 .