Randolph County, Indiana

Randolph County, Indiana
Seal
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1818
Seat	Winchester
Largest city	Winchester
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	453.31 sq mi (1,174 km²) 452.38 sq mi (1,172 km²) 0.94 sq mi (2 km²), 0.21%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	26,171 58/sq mi (22.31/km²)
Congressional district	6th
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 68

Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 26,171. The county seat is Winchester.

History

Modoc from the air, looking northeast.

The Indiana General Assembly authorized the formation of Randolph County from Wayne County in January 1818 to take effect in August 1818. The county was almost certainly named for Randolph County, North Carolina, where the area's first settlers came from. That county was named for Peyton Randolph, the first President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.

Between 1820 and 1824, the county's territory extended to the Michigan boundary; consequently, the plat for the town of Fort Wayne (now a city) is recorded in Randolph County's Recorder's Office. Randolph County's population grew rapidly in the early years of the nineteenth century. It was also known as a progressive community. As a home to a large number of members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), education and abolitionism became important movements. The county was home to three famous settlements of free African-Americans. The most famous, the Greenville Settlement, in Greensfork Township, was the site of Union Literary Institute, one of the first racially-integrated schools in the United States.

Randolph County has been a Republican-stronghold since the 1850s. As such, the county produced two Governors, one Congressman, one U. S. Senator, three Indiana Secretaries of State, and one State Superintendent of Public Instruction between 1858 and 1931. The county's population growth slowed after 1880.

Randolph County answered the problem of rural decline in the early twentieth century by embracing much of the "Country Life Movement." The major act was the movement to consolidate the county's rural schools. This was done under the leadership of Lee L. Driver, a county native who became the nation's leading expert on rural school consolidation. Randolph County became the exemplar of the movement and was the subject of many publications and visits from officials from as far away as Canada and China.

In recent years, residents in Winchester, Union City, and Farmland have sought to revitalize the county through a renewed focus on historic preservation, tourism, and the arts.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 453.31 square miles (1,174.1 km²), of which 452.38 square miles (1,171.7 km²) (or 99.79%) is land and 0.94 square miles (2.4 km²) (or 0.21%) is water.

Randolph County is the point of origin for the White River and Whitewater River.

Adjacent counties

• Jay County (north)
• Darke County, Ohio (east)
• Wayne County (south)
• Henry County (southwest)
• Delaware County (west)

Transportation

• U.S. Route 36
• U.S. Route 35
• U.S. Route 27
• Indiana State Road 1
• Indiana State Road 28
• Indiana State Road 32
• Indiana State Road 227

Cities and towns

Incorporated

• Farmland
• Losantville
• Lynn
• Modoc
• Parker City
• Ridgeville
• Saratoga
• Union City
• Winchester

Unincorporated

• Crete
• Deerfield
• Harrisville
• Huntsville
• New Pittsburg
• Spartanburg

Map of Randolph County, Indiana With Municipal and Township Labels

Townships

• Franklin
• Green
• Greensfork
• Jackson
• Monroe
• Stoney Creek
• Union
• Ward
• Washington
• Wayne
• White River

Nettle Creek (Losantville) and West River (Modoc) Townships were combined to form Union Township.

Local Attractions

Winchester Speedway (one of the worlds oldest and fastest high bank half mile tracks in the world) Located approximately 2 miles west of Winchester on State Road 32

Mrs Wicks Pie Factory and Restaurant (tours of the facilities available for groups) Located in Winchester

Silvertowne (one of the largest privately owned coin shops in the United States) Located in Winchester

Wilson Wines (local winery near Modoc with tours and special events)

McVey National Forest (Located North of Farmland approximately 6 miles on State Road 1)

Farmers market during the summer time on the Winchester Square

Local Festivals and Events

Mom, Baseball and Apple Pie Festival (Held in Winchester during August annually)

Labor Day Marathon Softball Tournament (Winchester city Park and draws teams from all over the United States to play softball and celebrate the last holiday of Summer. Winchester's population nearly doubles for this weekend)

Madi Gras held annually each fall in Winchester during October

Airports

• Randolph County Airport (newly expanded in 2010 and 2011)
• Lynn annual lions club fair including a tractor pull, games, and a wiffle ball tourney

Climate and weather

Winchester, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.9   32 16     1.6   36 19     2.9   47 29     3.6   60 40     4.1   70 51     4.3   80 60     4.3   83 63     3.6   81 61     2.8   75 54     2.6   63 42     3.2   49 33     2.8   37 22 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     49   0 -9     41   2 -7     74   8 -2     92   16 4     105   21 11     110   27 16     109   28 17     92   27 16     71   24 12     66   17 6     81   9 1     70   3 -6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Winchester have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in September 1953. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.63 inches (41 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Randolph County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Mike Pence.

Education

Public schools in Randolph County are administered by the Union School Corporation, Randolph Central School Corporation, Randolph Eastern School Corporation, Randolph Southern School Corporation, and Monroe Central School Corporation.

High schools

• Union High School (Modoc) - Modoc-Union School Corporation
• Randolph Southern High School - Lynn-Randolph Southern School Corporation
• Winchester Community High School - Winchester-Randolph Central School Corporation
• Union City High School - Union City - Randolph Eastern School Corporation
• Monroe Central High School - Parker City - Monroe Central School Corporation

Junior high/middle schools

• Union Jr. High School
• Randolph Southern Jr. High School
• Driver Middle School-Winchester
• West Side Middle School-Union City
• Monroe Central Jr. High School

Elementary schools

• Union Elementary School
• Randolph Southern Elementary School
• Deerfield Elementary School - Winchester
• Baker Elementary School - Winchester
• Williard Elementary School - Winchester
• North Side Elementary School - Union City
• Monroe Central Elementary School

Nationally-known Notable residents

• Congressman Thomas M. Browne.
• John R. Commons, nationally-known economist.
• Governor James P. Goodrich.
• Governor Isaac P. Gray.
• Wendell M. Stanley, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry.
• Senator James E. Watson.
• Robert Wise (1914–2005), Hollywood director, was born in Winchester.
• Jim Jones (1931–1978), 1970s cult leader, founder of Jonestown.

Fictional residents

The Marshalls of Land of the Lost once lived in Harrisville.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,401 people, 10,937 households, and 7,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 11,775 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.06% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.3% were of American, 25.6% German, 11.5% English and 9.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 10,937 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,544, and the median income for a family was $40,855. Males had a median income of $30,951 versus $20,634 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,954. About 8.30% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	1,808		—
1830	3,912		116.4%
1840	10,684		173.1%
1850	14,725		37.8%
1860	18,997		29.0%
1870	22,862		20.3%
1880	26,435		15.6%
1890	28,085		6.2%
1900	28,653		2.0%
1910	29,013		1.3%
1920	26,484		−8.7%
1930	24,859		−6.1%
1940	26,766		7.7%
1950	27,141		1.4%
1960	28,434		4.8%
1970	28,915		1.7%
1980	29,997		3.7%
1990	27,148		−9.5%
2000	27,401		0.9%
2010	26,171		−4.5%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

See also

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