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Chalmers, Indiana
Downtown Chalmers
Downtown Chalmers
Location of Chalmers in White County, Indiana.
Location of Chalmers in White County, Indiana.
Country United States
State Indiana
County White
Township Big Creek
Platted 1873
Incorporated 1892
Founded by Jacob Raub
Government
 • Type Town council
Area
 • Total 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2)
 • Land 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
715 ft (218 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 523
 • Density 1,731.79/sq mi (668.77/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
47929
Area code(s) Area code 219
FIPS code 18-11944
GNIS feature ID 2396638
Website chalmers.in.gov

Chalmers is a small town in White County, Indiana, in the United States. It is part of Big Creek Township. In 2020, 523 people lived there.

History of Chalmers

Chalmers historic railway
Chalmers historic railway

Chalmers began in the early 1850s. A man named Gardner Mudge gave land to the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway in 1854. This was after the railway built tracks through the area in 1853. Gardner Mudge and his brother-in-law ran a general store. A Post Office opened on April 21, 1854, with Mudge as the first postmaster.

The town of Chalmers was officially mapped out, or platted, on July 24, 1873. It had 103 building lots on six streets. Soon, homes and stores were built. A school was also constructed in the early 1870s. The first church started in 1878, and a factory that made tiles opened the same year.

The Bank of Chalmers was started by Jacob Raub in the early 1890s. It had $10,000 to begin with. Chalmers officially became an incorporated town in 1892. This means it became an official local government. The first local newspaper, "The Ledger," began in 1893. In 1895, a train station was built. This station later became an important symbol of the town's past.

The village was first called "Mudge's Station" after Gardner Mudge. But the name "Chalmers" appeared on train schedules as early as 1856. By 1912, Chalmers had about 600 people. It had two places to store grain, a factory, fifteen stores, two banks, and many other businesses and homes.

The old train station was taken down in 1976. However, the railroad tracks that go through Chalmers are still used today by CSX Transportation.

Geography and Climate

Chalmers covers a total area of about 0.25 square miles (0.78 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Weather in Chalmers

Chalmers has a type of weather called a hot-summer humid continental climate. This means it has warm, humid summers and cold winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Chalmers was 102°F (39°C). This happened on June 27, 2005, and again on July 8, 2012. The coldest temperature recorded was -22°F (-30°C) on January 3, 2018.

Climate data for Chalmers, Indiana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2000–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 68
(20)
73
(23)
85
(29)
89
(32)
96
(36)
102
(39)
102
(39)
98
(37)
89
(32)
93
(34)
79
(26)
69
(21)
102
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 54.3
(12.4)
55.7
(13.2)
69.9
(21.1)
80.6
(27.0)
89.7
(32.1)
93.1
(33.9)
91.8
(33.2)
91.3
(32.9)
91.2
(32.9)
84.0
(28.9)
69.5
(20.8)
59.1
(15.1)
95.5
(35.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 31.2
(−0.4)
35.5
(1.9)
47.4
(8.6)
60.8
(16.0)
72.0
(22.2)
81.0
(27.2)
83.0
(28.3)
81.8
(27.7)
76.9
(24.9)
64.5
(18.1)
49.5
(9.7)
36.8
(2.7)
60.0
(15.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 23.7
(−4.6)
27.2
(−2.7)
37.8
(3.2)
49.4
(9.7)
60.6
(15.9)
70.0
(21.1)
72.3
(22.4)
70.7
(21.5)
64.6
(18.1)
53.0
(11.7)
40.3
(4.6)
29.4
(−1.4)
49.9
(10.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 16.2
(−8.8)
18.9
(−7.3)
28.3
(−2.1)
38.0
(3.3)
49.2
(9.6)
59.1
(15.1)
61.7
(16.5)
59.6
(15.3)
52.2
(11.2)
41.4
(5.2)
31.0
(−0.6)
22.0
(−5.6)
39.8
(4.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −5.7
(−20.9)
−5.1
(−20.6)
11.5
(−11.4)
24.3
(−4.3)
34.8
(1.6)
47.9
(8.8)
51.7
(10.9)
49.8
(9.9)
41.4
(5.2)
27.9
(−2.3)
15.6
(−9.1)
4.1
(−15.5)
−11.3
(−24.1)
Record low °F (°C) −22
(−30)
−20
(−29)
−7
(−22)
15
(−9)
27
(−3)
37
(3)
43
(6)
43
(6)
34
(1)
23
(−5)
3
(−16)
−11
(−24)
−22
(−30)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.54
(65)
2.06
(52)
2.78
(71)
3.93
(100)
4.26
(108)
5.54
(141)
4.50
(114)
4.04
(103)
3.00
(76)
3.07
(78)
2.91
(74)
2.36
(60)
40.99
(1,042)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 6.6
(17)
6.2
(16)
2.5
(6.4)
0.4
(1.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.5
(1.3)
4.1
(10)
20.3
(51.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.3 9.4 10.9 12.1 12.7 11.7 10.3 9.4 8.6 9.5 10.3 11.0 126.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 4.9 4.2 1.9 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 3.3 15.1
Source 1: NOAA
Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)

People of Chalmers

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 462
1910 513 11.0%
1920 528 2.9%
1930 510 −3.4%
1940 475 −6.9%
1950 508 6.9%
1960 548 7.9%
1970 544 −0.7%
1980 554 1.8%
1990 525 −5.2%
2000 513 −2.3%
2010 508 −1.0%
2020 523 3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 508 people living in Chalmers. These people made up 203 households and 137 families. The town had about 2032 people per square mile.

Most people in Chalmers (97%) were White. About 2.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

About 33.5% of households had children under 18 living there. More than half (53.7%) were married couples. The average household had 2.50 people.

The average age in Chalmers was 40.1 years old. About 25% of the residents were under 18. About 13.2% were 65 years or older. The town had slightly more females (51%) than males (49%).

Things to Do

Arts and Culture

Chalmers has an annual Community Day. This event includes a pancake breakfast and a pork dinner. There are also car shows and motorcycle shows.

Near Chalmers, you can find the Meadow Lake Wind Farm. This is one of the largest wind farms on land in the world!

Parks and Recreation

Chalmers Indiana Park Playground
Playground at Chalmers Community Park with softball fields in the background

Chalmers has a few parks for fun and relaxation:

  • Chalmers Community Park: This park has a playground, a covered picnic area (pavilion), walking trails, and sports fields.
  • Downtown Park: This park features a gazebo and a colorful mural designed by local artists.

Education

The public schools in Chalmers are part of the Frontier School Corporation. This school system has its main office in Downtown Chalmers. Most students from Chalmers go to schools in this district.

The older students attend Frontier Junior and Senior High School. This school was created by combining the former Chalmers High School with schools from Brookston. Younger children go to Frontier Elementary School in Brookston. In the 2012-2013 school year, the Frontier School Corporation was recognized as a top-performing "A" grade school by the Indiana Department of Education.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Chalmers (Indiana) para niños

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