Franklin County, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Franklin County
U.S. county
Franklin County Courthouse in Brookville Historic District
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 1, 1811 (authorized)
Named for	Benjamin Franklin
Seat	Brookville
Largest town	Brookville (entirely within county) Batesville (partial)
Area
• Total	391.05 sq mi (1,012.8 km2)
• Land	384.43 sq mi (995.7 km2)
• Water	6.62 sq mi (17.1 km2)  1.69%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,785
• Estimate  (2023)	23,096
• Density	59.1/sq mi (22.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Indiana county number 24

Franklin County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Indiana. In the 2020 United States Census, the county population was 22,785. The county seat is the town of Brookville. Franklin County is part of the Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. The only incorporated city in Franklin County is Batesville, which lies mostly in adjoining Ripley County.

Geography

Franklin County lies on the eastern edge of Indiana; its eastern border abuts the western border of Ohio. Its low rolling hills, once completely wooded, have been partially cleared and leveled for agricultural use. The carved drainages are still largely brush-filled. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 391.05 square miles (1,012.8 km²), of which 384.43 square miles (995.7 km²) (or 98.31%) is land and 6.62 square miles (17.1 km²) (or 1.69%) is water.

Brookville from the northeast

Brookville Lake extends into the county's northern part, formed by a dam of the same name on the East Branch of the Whitewater River, a tributary of the Great Miami River. The West Branch of the Whitewater River enters the county's northwestern part from Fayette County and joins the east branch at Brookville, to form the Whitewater River, flowing southeastward into Dearborn County. The southern and southwestern parts of Franklin County are drained by Salt Creek, Pipe Creek, and Blue Creek, which flow northeastward into Whitewater River. The highest point in the county (1,070 feet/330 meters ASL) is a small hill 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north of Andersonville.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Protected areas

• Mounds State Recreation Area

Lakes

• Brookville Lake (part)

Communities

City

• Batesville (partial)

Towns

Census-designated places

• Lake Santee (partial)
• Metamora
• New Trenton

Unincorporated communities

Townships

History

The future state of Indiana was first regulated by congressional passage of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. In 1790 the Territory was divided into two counties, with Knox covering much of present-day Indiana. In 1810, a portion of Knox was partitioned to create Wayne County, and shortly thereafter a portion further south was partitioned to create Franklin; the authorizing act was dated February 1, 1811. It was named for statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Some early settlers of Franklin County were Primitive Baptists who came with Elder William Tyner from Virginia in 1797, after the American Revolutionary War. They organized the first church congregation in the Whitewater Valley, the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church. They raised a log chapel southeast of Brookville in 1805.

Another European-American landmark is the Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground on Big Cedar Creek Road, between the road to Reily and the Oxford Pike. The original church was established in 1817, as an arm of the Little Cedar Baptist church. The brick building was built in 1838. This church congregation, similar to many pioneer Baptist groups in the country, was originally Primitive Baptist or Hardshell. In the 1830s modernism reached the county, bringing innovations such as Sunday schools, Missionary Societies, and the playing of organs. Organs were particularly anathema to the Primitive Party, who considered it akin to Aaron's golden calf.

The Big Cedar congregation divided into two over these issues, but the two groups arrived at an amicable settlement. Both congregations continued to use the same building: the Primitives, or Hardshells, had worship in the church on the first and third Sabbath of each month, and the Modernists or Missionary Baptists used the church on the second and fourth Sundays. Each congregation had a wood shed. The building is now maintained in connection with the Big Cedar Cemetery Association.

Governors James B. Ray, Noah Noble and David Wallace were known as the "Brookville Triumvirate." They had each lived in Brookville and were elected to consecutive terms as Indiana governor. Noble and Ray were political adversaries.

James B. Goudie Jr. (1769–1836), Speaker of the Indiana House, was also from Franklin County.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Brookville have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −31 °F (−35 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in September 1951. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.68 inches (68 mm) in September to 4.90 inches (124 mm) in May.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,087 people, 8,579 households, and 6,447 families in the county. The population density was 60.1 inhabitants per square mile (23.2/km²). There were 9,538 housing units at an average density of 24.8 per square mile (9.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.3% were German, 14.7% were American, 13.1% were Irish, and 9.5% were English.

Of the 8,579 households, 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.9% were non-families, and 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 40.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $60,300. Males had a median income of $43,443 versus $32,612 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,090. About 8.6% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Education

School districts include:

• Batesville Community School Corporation
• Franklin County Community School Corporation
• Union County-College Corner Joint School District

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Franklin (Indiana) para niños