Bartholomew County, Indiana

Bartholomew County
U.S. county
Bartholomew County courthouse in Columbus, Indiana
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°13′N 85°54′W / 39.21°N 85.9°W / 39.21; -85.9
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	12 February 1821
Named for	Joseph Bartholomew
Seat	Columbus
Largest city	Columbus
Area
• Total	409.52 sq mi (1,060.7 km2)
• Land	406.91 sq mi (1,053.9 km2)
• Water	2.62 sq mi (6.8 km2)  0.64%%
Population
• Estimate  (2018)	82,753
• Density	189/sq mi (72.88/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.bartholomew.in.gov
Indiana county number 3

Bartholomew County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2018, the population was 82,753.^[1] The county seat is Columbus.^[2] The county was determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to be home to the mean center of U.S. population in 1900.^[3]

Bartholomew County makes up the Columbus, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie Combined Statistical Area.

History[]

Bartholomew County was formed on February 12, 1821 and was named for Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew, wounded at the Battle of Tippecanoe.^[4] The site of the county seat was chosen on February 15, 1821 by a team of commissioners, who suggested the name Tiptona, in honor of John Tipton.^{[citation needed]}

Courthouse[]

The current Bartholomew County courthouse was built from 1870 to 1874 by McCormack and Sweeney of Columbus at a cost of $225,000.

It was designed by architect Isaac Hodgson, who was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1826 and immigrated to the United States in 1848; he designed six Indiana courthouses, including the one in Henry County.

The courthouse is built largely of brick and has mansard roofs typical of the Second Empire French style. Its asymmetrical "L" shape allows it to face two major streets in Columbus. The inscription indicating the commissioners, architect and date is high up on the east facade.^[5]

Today the Bartholomew County Veterans Memorial designed by American architect Charles Rose sits adjacent to the Courthouse.

Geography[]

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 409.52 square miles (1,060.7 km²), of which 406.91 square miles (1,053.9 km²) (or 99.36%) is land and 2.62 square miles (6.8 km²) (or 0.64%) is water.^[6] Camp Atterbury occupies the northwestern corner of the county.

Adjacent counties[]

• Johnson County (northwest)
• Shelby County (northeast)
• Decatur County (east)
• Jennings County (southeast)
• Jackson County (south)
• Brown County (west)

City[]

• Columbus

Towns[]

• Clifford
• Edinburgh
• Elizabethtown
• Hartsville
• Hope
• Jonesville

Census-designated place[]

• Taylorsville

Other unincorporated places[]

Extinct towns[]

• Kansas

Townships[]

Major highways[]

Airport[]

• KBAK - Columbus Municipal Airport

Railroads[]

• Louisville and Indiana Railroad

Climate and weather[]

Columbus, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.7     37 19     2.6     42 22     3.7     53 31     4.4     64 41     4.6     74 52     3.5     83 61     4     86 65     3.8     85 63     3.1     79 55     2.8     67 42     3.8     54 34     3.2     42 25 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[7]
showMetric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     68     3 −7     67     6 −6     93     12 −1     111     18 5     118     23 11     88     28 16     102     30 18     95     29 17     78     26 13     71     19 6     96     12 1     80     6 −4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Columbus have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.63 inches (67 mm) in February to 4.63 inches (118 mm) in May.^[7]

Government[]

Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Bartholomew, Indiana, United States
Legal jurisdiction	As per operations jurisdiction
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Agency executive	Matt Myers, Sheriff

Politics[]

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.^[8][9]

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.^[8][9]

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.^[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 a party affiliation and to be residents of the county.^[9]

Bartholomew County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district and Indiana's 9th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 41;^[10] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 57, 59 and 65.^[11]

Presidential elections results[12]
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2020	61.9% 22,410	35.7% 12,934	2.5% 891
2016	63.1% 20,640	30.1% 9,841	6.8% 2,236
2012	61.5% 18,083	36.2% 10,625	2.3% 684
2008	54.9% 17,067	43.6% 13,567	1.5% 455
2004	67.0% 19,093	32.2% 9,191	0.8% 231
2000	62.9% 16,200	35.0% 9,015	2.2% 554
1996	51.6% 13,188	36.4% 9,301	12.0% 3,069
1992	47.9% 13,146	30.2% 8,284	21.9% 6,010
1988	66.1% 17,364	33.5% 8,804	0.5% 123
1984	69.4% 18,704	29.9% 8,075	0.7% 191
1980	58.6% 15,801	34.3% 9,260	7.1% 1,913
1976	56.4% 14,771	42.8% 11,203	0.8% 213
1972	70.9% 17,365	28.5% 6,974	0.7% 163
1968	55.8% 13,628	33.9% 8,268	10.4% 2,528
1964	45.8% 11,026	53.7% 12,940	0.5% 124
1960	59.1% 13,606	40.4% 9,290	0.6% 130
1956	59.8% 12,227	39.8% 8,134	0.5% 92
1952	58.8% 11,462	40.2% 7,844	1.0% 196
1948	48.7% 7,804	49.7% 7,960	1.6% 248
1944	51.0% 7,689	47.3% 7,139	1.7% 252
1940	48.8% 7,890	50.6% 8,180	0.5% 86
1936	42.9% 6,484	56.5% 8,536	0.6% 87
1932	43.2% 6,015	54.1% 7,533	2.8% 390
1928	57.8% 6,788	41.5% 4,881	0.7% 83
1924	56.6% 6,606	40.8% 4,760	2.6% 302
1920	53.9% 6,585	44.4% 5,420	1.7% 205
1916	47.1% 3,287	49.3% 3,441	3.6% 253
1912	20.3% 1,321	48.3% 3,147	31.5% 2,053
1908	46.1% 3,306	50.8% 3,637	3.1% 224
1904	51.6% 3,510	44.7% 3,038	3.7% 254
1900	41.1% 2,375	57.1% 3,300	1.9% 107
1896	50.0% 3,264	49.0% 3,198	1.0% 62
1892	40.4% 2,297	56.6% 3,217	3.1% 174
1888	46.3% 2,742	52.5% 3,109	1.3% 75

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	5,476		—
1840	10,042		83.4%
1850	12,428		23.8%
1860	17,865		43.7%
1870	21,133		18.3%
1880	22,777		7.8%
1890	23,867		4.8%
1900	24,594		3.0%
1910	24,813		0.9%
1920	23,887		−3.7%
1930	24,864		4.1%
1940	28,276		13.7%
1950	36,108		27.7%
1960	48,198		33.5%
1970	57,022		18.3%
1980	65,088		14.1%
1990	63,657		−2.2%
2000	71,435		12.2%
2010	76,794		7.5%
2018 (est.)	82,753	[13]	7.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16] 1990-2000[17] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 81,162 people, 29,860 households, and 20,788 families residing in the county.^[18] The population density was 188.7 inhabitants per square mile (72.9/km²). There were 33,098 housing units at an average density of 81.3 per square mile (31.4/km²).^[6] The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% white, 3.4% Asian, 1.8% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.2% of the population.^[18] In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 12.4% were English, 12.2% were Irish, and 10.7% were American.^[19]

Of the 29,860 households, 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.4% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 38.2 years.^[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $64,024. Males had a median income of $50,358 versus $32,334 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,860. About 7.7% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.^[20]

Education[]

Public schools in Bartholomew County are administered by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation. The county's first tuition-free public charter school, the International School of Columbus, a middle school/high school, opened in 2009–10. The ISC was an International Baccalaureate World School offering the Diploma Program. The ISC closed due to financial difficulties in the fall of 2013.

Ivy Tech Community College Columbus is located in Bartholomew County.^[21]

See also[]

• The Republic, daily newspaper covering Bartholomew County
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bartholomew County, Indiana

References[]

External links[]

• Bartholomew County official website
• Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
• Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation
• International School of Columbus

Coordinates: 39°13′N 85°54′W / 39.21°N 85.90°W / 39.21; -85.90