Tipton, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tipton, Indiana
City
Tipton County Courthouse in Tipton
Location of Tipton in Tipton County, Indiana.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Tipton
Area
• Total	2.63 sq mi (6.80 km2)
• Land	2.63 sq mi (6.80 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	869 ft (265 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,275
• Density	2,009.52/sq mi (775.79/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	46072
Area code(s)	765
FIPS code	18-75986
GNIS feature ID	2397028

Tipton is a city located in Tipton County, Indiana, in the United States. It's the main town, also known as the county seat, for Tipton County. In 2021, about 5,275 people lived there.

Tipton's Story: A Look Back

The Tipton County Courthouse and the old Tipton County Jail and Sheriff's Home are important historical buildings. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, meaning they are special places worth preserving.

How Tipton Began: Samuel King's Idea

The first white person to settle in the Tipton area was Samuel King. He bought land there between 1835 and 1836. At that time, the land was part of Hamilton County. Samuel King lived in Rush County but visited his new land often. The closest place to trade goods was Strawtown, Indiana.

King decided to start a town on his land. He planned the town on April 16, 1839, and named it Kingston. However, he couldn't sell any of the land plots he had planned. A few Miami Indians still lived in the area.

In January 1844, Tipton County was officially created. A main town, or county seat, was needed. The original plan was to put the county seat in the middle of the county. But Miami Indians lived on that land, so a town couldn't be built there.

The county leaders asked landowners to suggest their land for the county seat. Samuel King offered to give 100 acres of his Kingston land. On October 16, 1844, the leaders accepted his offer.

From Kingston to Canton

The county leaders were also in charge of naming the new town. One leader, John D. Smith, used to live in Ohio. He suggested naming the town Canton, like Canton, Ohio. The leaders agreed to this name.

After October, they decided to plan the town of Canton. Trees and plants had to be cleared from the area. John Criswell did the surveying work for $2 a day. Sales of the land plots began in November. By March 1845, 34 plots had been sold.

Canton Becomes Tipton

In 1845, a post office was going to be set up in Canton. But they found out there was already a town named Canton in Indiana, started in 1838. So, the town needed a new name.

The town was renamed Tipton, after John Tipton. He was a brave soldier who fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. John Tipton also led the Indiana Rangers. He served as a United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 until he passed away in 1839.

Finally, a post office was opened in Tipton. John S. Ressler became the first postmaster, in charge of the mail.

Early Tipton was not very organized. There were many log cabins and simple homes that didn't follow the town's plan. Cows roamed freely, and people hunted wild animals in the streets. It was a very rural area. There was no telegraph or train, so it was hard to communicate with other places. People mostly lived by hunting. Farming was not well developed yet. Tipton was also known for flooding and mud. People often had to walk through muddy, swampy areas during wet seasons. By 1850, the town's population had doubled. A doctor named Isaac Parker also started his practice there.

The Cholera Outbreak

Around August 1, 1845, Tipton faced a serious health problem called a cholera outbreak. Most residents quickly left the city. Farm animals began to die because their owners had either died or left them behind. One resident, Mason Lyons, freed the animals that were still alive. He let them go into the forest to find food.

Stores and businesses closed down. There were three doctors in town, including Isaac Parker. Sadly, over 20 people died during this time. The outbreak lasted for about one month.

Growth in the Late 1800s

In 1854, the Tipton Presbyterian Church was started in the city. A Christian church was also founded in Tipton in 1855. Its members met at the Methodist Episcopal church until their own church was built in 1870. They built a new church, the West Street Christian church, which was finished in 1908.

The courthouse burned down in 1857. The Methodist church served as the courthouse for three years until a new one was built. In 1872, the Jefferson Street canal was built. This helped drain water from the town's surface. The canal was gone by 1914. The first Catholic church in Tipton was built in 1874.

By 1880, Tipton was mostly a low-income town with little business. Saloons were the most successful businesses. Starting in 1880, the town began to improve its image. A reward was offered to the first person who built a brick building. The Methodist church needed a bigger building, and their new church became the first brick building. This started a trend for two-story brick buildings in town. Tipton officially became a "city" in 1884. The first city election was held that same year.

In 1888, the Sisters of St. Joseph came to Tipton. They built a small church and started St. Joseph Academy, a parochial school. This school closed in 1977. A Baptist church was organized in Tipton in 1898, and its church building was completed in 1900.

Tipton's Location and Nature

Tipton is located about 36 miles (58 km) almost directly north of Indianapolis, the state capital.

According to the 2010 census, Tipton covers a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 sq km). All of this area is land.

Natural Environment in Early Tipton

In 1849, the city area was covered in trees, underbrush, logs, stumps, and wild plants. A large swamp was on the southeastern side of the town square. On the north side of the square was a slough, which is a muddy channel. Wolves, bull frogs, deer, mosquitos, and other wild animals were common.

People of Tipton

Tipton's Population in 2010

In 2010, a census showed that 5,106 people lived in Tipton. There were 2,218 households and 1,356 families. The population density was about 2,042 people per square mile (788 per sq km). There were 2,471 homes, with about 988 homes per square mile (381 per sq km).

Most of the people in Tipton were White (97.1%). A small number were Black (0.1%), Native American (0.2%), or Asian (0.6%). About 0.7% were from other races, and 1.3% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 2.7% of the population.

Out of the 2,218 households, 29.9% had children under 18 living with them. About 42.3% were married couples living together. About 14.1% had a female head of household with no husband, and 4.8% had a male head of household with no wife. About 38.9% were not families.

About 34.9% of all households were made up of single individuals. About 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The average household had 2.28 people, and the average family had 2.91 people.

The average age in Tipton was 39.9 years. About 24.2% of residents were under 18. About 8.3% were between 18 and 24. About 24.3% were between 25 and 44. About 25.9% were between 45 and 64. And 17.5% were 65 years old or older. The city's population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

Tipton's Economy

Businesses in the 1800s

Daniel Smith opened the first tavern in Tipton, which was then called Canton. It was named the Canton House. Another tavern opened in 1846 by Andrew J. Redmond, who later became the town sheriff.

John Cassler was the first merchant to open a business in Tipton. He ran his business out of a log cabin on the east side of the town square. In 1845, he was allowed to sell groceries and liquor. Starting in 1850, Newton J. Jackson began selling goods. He later became the first auditor for the county.

Charles and Conde Bishop were the first carpenters in Tipton. A tanyard, where leather was made, was started by William and Elijah Hall in 1847. This business closed in 1882 because of new ways of tanning leather. Goods were brought to Tipton by wagons and on horseback from Lafayette, Peru, and Indianapolis. By 1851, Tipton had blacksmiths, a cabinetmaker, a bakery, a saddlery (where saddles were made), and a gunsmith. The Young Furniture Company was founded in 1850.

Industries in the 1900s

The Lake Erie & Western Shops were located in Tipton. In 1914, these shops employed 350-400 people. The Tipton Chamber of Commerce, a group that supports local businesses, was founded on March 24, 1914.

Canning was a popular industry in Tipton in the early 1900s. This industry was brought to Tipton by N.S. Martz. Processing tomatoes was common because of the good quality black loam soil in the area. The Fame Canning Company canned corn, peas, and tomatoes. The Snider Preserve Company processed tomato pulp.

The Oakes Manufacturing Company made poultry incubators and related items. They sold these products all over the world. There were also two buggy factories in Tipton: the Binkley Buggy Company and the Charles Bros. Carriage Factory. The J.J. McIntosh broom factory was the largest in Indiana.

Places to Stay: Hotels

A hotel was started in 1852 by Harrison A. Woodruff. By 1914, this hotel had become an Oddfellows hall, a meeting place for a social group. A second hotel, the Smith Hotel, was also built in 1852. It was located at the corner of Main and Jefferson streets.

Two more hotels were built in town. The City Hotel is no longer standing. Another hotel was built by John Long in 1865. This hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1873. A new brick hotel was built on the same spot, called the Commercial Hotel. In 1914, it was described as a "first-class hotel" with "all modern hotel conveniences."

Arts and Culture in Tipton

The city library was founded in 1900 and built in 1901. It opened in Spring 1901, and over 500 books were given to the library. In 1915, Andrew Carnegie donated $10,000 to the city. This money came with the agreement that the city would give $1,000 each year to help run the library. The Carnegie Library began construction on October 15, 1902. This library building does not exist today. A special fund was created by a donor, Nannie R. Shirk, named after her late husband, E.H. Shirk.

Fun Events Each Year

Every year, the weekend after Labor Day, Tipton hosts the Tipton County Pork Festival. This event includes a parade, a queen contest where "Miss Pork Cuisine" is crowned, lots of food, and music.

Parks and Recreation

In the early 1900s, 26 acres of land were set aside for a Tipton City Park. It had streams and trees. The park often flooded from Cicero Creek. However, during the summer, the park was popular for its honeysuckle plants.

Education in Tipton

Early Schools in Tipton

The first school in Tipton opened in the winter of 1846–47. School was held in a log cabin in what is now downtown Tipton. Students attended school for two to three months each year. Teachers were not paid well and often stayed with the families of their students to make enough money.

A frame school house was built in 1852. This gave students a permanent place to learn. The school was also sometimes used as a church. By 1914, a church had been built on the old school site.

In 1867, a new school was built because the population was growing. This new school cost $15,000. It had two stories, six rooms, and a library. Classes first started there in 1869. A second school, with eight rooms, was built in 1890. A high school was built in 1910.

The Sisters of St. Joseph came to Tipton in 1888. They founded a private school called St. Joseph's Academy. This school served high school students. It stopped operating in 1972.

Schools Today

The Tipton Community School Corporation serves the city of Tipton and the southern part of Tipton County. It has an elementary school, middle school, and high school. All these schools are located on one campus on the south side of town. For the 2014–15 school year, about 1,732 students were enrolled. In 2006, 93% of the students were Caucasian.

Today, Tipton Schools have 1,851 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. About 97% of these students are white. The other 3% are African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Indian, or multiracial.

St. John the Baptist School was a Roman Catholic school that served grades K-5. This school closed in 2014 because not enough students were enrolled.

Tipton has a public library, which is a part of the Tipton County Public Library system.

Getting Around Tipton

Transportation History

In the mid to late 1800s, Tipton was known for being very dirty and muddy. Transportation was difficult. There was a poorly kept railroad, and people even used "mud boats." These were boat-like vehicles pulled by oxen that helped people travel through the deep mud. Flooding was also common during this time.

In 1890, Tipton became the first city in Indiana to have brick-paved streets. Representatives from Tipton visited Bloomington, Illinois, to see their brick streets. When they returned, they ordered 2.5 blocks of Jefferson Street to be paved with bricks. This section was repaved with bricks in 1914. Even in 1914, Tipton had more paved streets than any other city in Indiana.

Highways

• State Road 19 goes north to State Road 22 and south to Noblesville, Indiana.
• State Road 28 goes west to Frankfort, Indiana and east to Elwood, Indiana.

Railroads Historically, Tipton didn't have a formal railroad station. Around 1850, a railroad was in the area. A visitor described it as "the worst railroad bed I had ever seen." The train would stop anywhere on the line to pick up people, without needing a proper station. Sometimes it didn't stop, but it moved slowly enough that people could jump onto it.

• Norfolk Southern Railway

City Services

The Tipton Light, Heat and Power Company was founded in 1888. Citizens' Gas Company was started in 1892. Indiana Gas Light Company bought Citizens' in 1913. Natural gas was brought in from West Virginia to a storage place in Elwood and then sent to Tipton. The Tipton Electric Light and Water Works was founded in 1898. The water supply station was built in 1894-95 for $3,500. By 1914, Tipton had a sewer system with 12 miles of pipes.

Healthcare

In 1845, Tipton had no proper healthcare. People used Quinine and whiskey to try and help with illnesses believed to come from the surrounding wetlands. By 1850, the first doctor, Isaac Parker, had opened his practice in Tipton. In 1854, the town experienced a cholera outbreak.

Famous People from Tipton

• Babe Adams (baseball player) was born in Tipton in 1882. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• John Bunch (jazz pianist) was born in Tipton in 1921.
• Chris Faulkner (football player) was born in Tipton in 1960.
• James T. Sears (author and professor) was born in Tipton in 1951.
• Charles Tidler, playwright
• Rossini Vrionides (composer and actress) was born in Tipton in 1896.

Images for kids

• 

  Tipton County jail.

See also

In Spanish: Tipton (Indiana) para niños