1. History
    Native American cultures  Indiana Territory  The County  Settlement of the Whitewater Valley  Automotive manufacturing  Recession  Industrial Revival 1950's & 60's  Economic decline: labor and industry in the 1980s 

2. Geography
    Adjacent counties 

3. Political subdivisions
    Townships  Cities and towns  Unincorporated towns 

4. Transportation
    Major highways  Airport, rail and bus  Waterways 

5. Recreation

6. Economy

7. Climate and weather

8. Schools and colleges

9. Government

10. Demographics
     2010 Census Data  2000 Census Data 

11. Notable people

12. See also

13. Further reading

14. References

The county was historically significant early in the 19th century as a conduit for settlement of the Northwest Territory, and again in the early 20th century as an automotive manufacturing center, but has been in economic decline since the 1960's and is now among the poorest counties in the state.Most employment is retail, schools and healthcare.

The county lacks a commercial airport and bus service, and has no major (U.S. or Interstate) highways.

The county was created in 1818 from portions of Wayne and Franklin counties and unincorporated ("New Purchase") territory.

Fayette County comprises the Connersville, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county and its seat Connersville rose from unincorporated territory surrounding an isolated trading post on the Whitewater River to the principal conduit for settlement of northern and central Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois during the early 19th century, to an automotive manufacturing powerhouse in the first half of the 20th century, suffered recession and post-war industrial revival before declining to one of the poorest counties in Indiana and the central midwest. After early settlement, during industrial growth, the county's population concentrated in the town of Connersville. In 1841, Connersville became the first, and remains the only, incorporated town (chartered as a city in 1869) in the county.^[3]

Native American cultures

The first European explorers in Indiana came in the 1670s, and the first settlers in Fayette County sometime before 1808. Prior to that Fayette County and Indiana were inhabited by Native Americans for at least two hundred years. Older civilizations called the Mound Builders preceded the modern tribes. They are called such for the distinctive mounds they constructed roughly 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, as well as the many metal and pottery artifacts left behind in mounds across Indiana and Ohio. However, by the time Europeans reached the Indiana Territory, the nomadic Miami, Shawnee and Potawatomi inhabited the area. Later, the Delaware Indians, displaced from their ancestral homelands in the east, migrated to the Whitewater Valley.

Indiana Territory

At the organization of the Indiana Territory from the Northwest Territory in 1800, the Northwest Territory including present day Indiana was divided between Knox County (seat Vincennes) in the south, and Wayne County, including northern Ohio (seat Detroit) north of Fort Wayne in the north. By the Ohio Enabling Act of 1802 settlers in the Whitewater valley became citizens of the Indiana Territory and residents of Clark county, which had been organized from the eastern part of Knox in 1801, with the county seat at Falls of the Ohio, later called Clarksville.^[4]

On Sept. 30, 1809, the United States, on behalf of the Northwest Territory and Governor William Henry Harrison, concluded the Treaty of Fort Wayne, part of whose terms included the purchase from the Indians of a strip of land locally called "The 12 Mile Purchase" parallel to and west of "The Gore", enclosing the Whitewater Valley and comprising the largest portion of the future county. Conclusion of the treaty essentially ended Indian occupation of the county and cleared the way for settlement.

In southeastern Indiana, a part of the Northwest Territory nicknamed "The Gore" was ceded from Ohio to Indiana in 1803 and became Dearborn County. Wayne and Franklin counties were carved from Dearborn and Clark counties in 1811. At that time much of southeastern Indiana was divided between the two latter counties.^[5]

The County

Fayette County was created by act of the Indiana General Assembly in December 1818 from portions of Wayne and Franklin counties and unincorporated ("New Purchase") territory in the northern portion of the county. It was named for the Marquis de la Fayette, a French hero of the Revolutionary War.^[6][7] Connersville, then a small village of less than a hundred inhabitants, was designated the county seat. The county was divided into five townships (Harrison, Connersville, Jennings, Columbia, and Brownsville) in February 1819, Connersville Township containing the namesake town. In 1821, the organization of Waterloo Township subsumed the portion of Brownsville Township remaining in Fayette County, along with a portion of Harrison Township west of the Whitewater River.

The far eastern part of Fayette lying between the Treaty of Greenville treaty line of 1795 and the present eastern boundary line of Waterloo and Jennings townships was split off into the newly created Union County in 1821. In 1826, a small part in the southeastern portion of Jackson township not included in the limits of the county in 1818, being left a part of Franklin county, was attached to Fayette County.

Four additional townships were created in later years: Posey (1823), Orange (1822), Jackson (1820) and Fairview (1851), corresponding to settlement of the area.

Settlement of the Whitewater Valley

At the time of its organization in 1819, the county had approximately 3,000 residents. Two major events spurred early growth: the completion of the Whitewater Canal in 1847, and the arrival of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Indianapolis Railroad through Connersville in 1862.

Automotive manufacturing

Economic productivity in the county, except for farming, has been centered almost exclusively in the one town of Connersville.

The automotive era of Connersville began in 1909, when the McFarlan first went into production. The following year, Lexington moved its plant to Connersville from its namesake city in Kentucky. Next came Empire, which built the Little Aristocrat. After Lexington went bankrupt in 1926, Auburn production moved to a factory complex known as Auburn Central. The “Baby Duesenberg” designed in Connersville eventually became the Cord 810 and 812. Connersville also was home to suppliers, including Central Manufacturing, which made bodywork for the 1940 Packard Darrin, along with some 500,000 Jeep bodies during World War II.

Recession

Industrial Revival 1950's & 60's

Economic decline: labor and industry in the 1980s

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of {{convert|215.16|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|215.01|sqmi}} (or 99.93%) is land and {{convert|0.15|sqmi}} (or 0.07%) is water.^[8] It is almost 14 mi. wide at its widest east-west span, and 19 mi. long (through Posey township). The county is located in the northern portion of the Whitewater River Valley running south and southeasterly from Wayne County to Cincinnati on the Ohio River. The only major waterway in the county is the West Fork of the Whitewater River running north to south through the center of the county. There is only a single tiny (15 acre) lake in the county, Manlove's Lake in Posey Township. The county is mostly flat with low, rolling hills. The county (and all of Indiana) is part of the Eastern (U.S.) Broadleaf Forest biome dominated by deciduous trees including over 175 native species of oak. Most of the land use is farms (>80%), vacant woodland and pasture. The most common crops are corn and soybeans.

Adjacent counties

• Henry County (north)
• Wayne County (northeast)
• Union County (east)
• Franklin County (south)
• Rush County (west)

Political subdivisions

Townships

• Columbia
• Connersville
• Fairview
• Harrison
• Jackson
• Jennings
• Orange
• Posey
• Waterloo

Cities and towns

• Connersville

Unincorporated towns

• Alquina
• Alpine
• Bentonville
• Columbia
• Everton
• Glenwood
• Falmouth in Fayette and Rush counties
• Fairview in Fayette and Rush counties
• Harrisburg
• Huber
• Longwood Crossing
• Lyonsville
• Nulltown
• Orange
• Springersville
• Tyner Crossing, NW of Connersville near Harrisburg
• Waterloo

Transportation

Major markets are remote; the nearest large cities are Cincinnati {{Convert|58|mi|km}} to the southeast, Indianapolis {{Convert|66|mi|km}} to the west, Louisville {{Convert|127|mi|km}} to the south, and Columbus, Ohio, {{Convert|135|mi|km}} to the northeast.

Major highways

The accessible state roads are all 2-lane roads. The nearest major highways are U.S. 40 {{Convert|12|mi|km}} to the north, and Interstate 70 {{Convert|14|mi|km}} to the north, both in Henry and Wayne Counties. Three major state roads all pass through Connersville:

• Indiana State Road 1
• Indiana State Road 44
• Indiana State Road 121

Airport, rail and bus

There is no commercial airport or bus service in the county. Amtrak passenger trains serve Connersville. Fayette County has CSX freight service in Connersville.

Waterways

Whitewater River, the only significant waterway in the county, is not commercially navigable.

Recreation

Robert's Park is a city park in Connersville providing pool, clubhouse, field, and grandstand facilities. The Whitewater Valley Railroad is a heritage railroad providing sightseeing tours between Connersville and Metamora. Manlove Lake near Milton, is a small lake and recreation area providing limited fishing and boating.

Economy

In 2010, the county ranked 92nd out of 92 Indiana counties in median household income. Most of the economic activity is local manufacturing, retail trade and healthcare services, concentrated in Connersville. Commercial and economic development remains constrained due to lack of commercial airport, freight rail service, and major (Interstate and U.S. highway) access.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Connersville have ranged from a low of {{convert|15|°F}} in January to a high of {{convert|83|°F}} in July, although a record low of {{convert|-31|°F}} was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of {{convert|102|°F}} was recorded in July 1952. Average monthly precipitation ranged from {{convert|2.33|in}} in February to {{convert|4.89|in}} in May.^[8]

Schools and colleges

The county is served by the Fayette County School system including elementary, middle and high schools. There are also a few parochial elementary schools in Connersville. Both Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and Indiana University East offer classes in Connersville.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

Fayette County is part of Indiana's 6th congressional district; Indiana Senate district 42^[11] and Indiana House of Representatives district 55.^[12]

Demographics

2010 Census Data

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 24,277 people, 9,719 households, and 6,669 families residing in the county.^[20] The population density was {{convert|112.9|PD/sqmi}}. There were 10,898 housing units at an average density of {{convert|50.7|/sqmi}}.^[21] The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 1.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population.^[20] In terms of ancestry, 20.4% were German, 15.2% were American, 11.8% were Irish, and 8.2% were English.^[22]

Of the 9,719 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 40.8 years.^[20]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $46,601. Males had a median income of $41,211 versus $29,388 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,928. About 11.9% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.^[23]

2000 Census Data

As of the census^[24] of 2000, there were 25,588 people, 10,199 households, and 7,149 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile (46/km²). There were 10,981 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.16% White, 1.67% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.2% were of American, 18.9% German, 10.6% English and 9.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 10,199 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,840, and the median income for a family was $46,111. Males had a median income of $34,493 versus $23,082 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,624. About 6.00% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Howard Garns, born in Connersville in 1905 and known as the inventor of Number Place, which would become later known as Sudoku.
• William Grose, Civil War general and Indiana State Senator grew up here.
• George Washington Steele, first Governor of Oklahoma Territory.^[25]
• Robert Wise, a movie producer and director who grew up in Connersville, became president of the Directors Guild of America (1971–1975) and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1984–1987).^[26]

See also

• McFarlan Automobile
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, Indiana
• Thomas Ranck Round Barn
• Edward E. Moore, Indiana state senator and Los Angeles City Council member

Further reading

• History of Fayette County, Indiana, Warner, Beers & Co. 1885

References

• Runkel (state)
• Runku Tawqa
• Runlack, Virginia
• Run (LANY song)
• Run length limited code
• Run-length limited code
• Run length limited coding
• Run-length limited coding
• Run-length limited encoding
• Run length limited encoding
• Runlight
• Run Like Hell: Hunt or Be Hunted
• Run (Lodovica Comello)
• Run mac Arthgal
• RUN (magazine)
• Run, Man, Run... Sartana's in Town
• Run Me Dry
• Run Me My Money
• Run Me My Money (Joseline Hernandez song)
• Run Me My Money (song)
• Runming Li
• Run My Mouth
• Run My Mouth (Ella Mai song)
• Runnells Specialized Hospital
• Runner3