Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 36,726. The county seat is Greencastle. The county was named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county was created in 1821 and organized in April 1822.Peggy Tuck Sinko: Indiana Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, John H. Long, Ed., Charles Scribner's Sons, Simon & Schuster Macmillan, New York, N.Y., 1996, p. 245.
History After the American Revolutionary War established US sovereignty over the territory of the upper Midwest, the new federal government defined the Northwest Territory in 1787 which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated Ohio from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory. President Thomas Jefferson chose William Henry Harrison as the governor of the territory, and Vincennes was established as the future capital. After the Michigan Territory was separated and the Illinois Territory was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. In late 1816, the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state, although much of its territory was still in dispute as to possession by Native Americans. The land containing Putnam County was brought into the possession and control of the United States by the Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 (known as the New Purchase).
The first county to be organized (1790) in the Northwest Territory was Knox, covering the western part of the future state, with its territory gradually reduced as pockets of settlement allowed the creation of smaller counties. After the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state on December 11, 1816, Sullivan (December 30, 1816), Vigo (January 21, 1818), and Daviess (February 2, 1818) counties were created, followed by Owen County on December 21, 1818. By 1821, the northern parts of Owen and Vigo counties were sufficiently settled to allow the creation of a new county, which was authorized on December 21, 1821, by an act of the Indiana General Assembly. The act tasked five commissioners to meet in May 1822 at the home of James Athey, a log cabin located at the forks of the Eel River. The act also authorized a circuit court to meet at Athey's cabin, which was likely the first such log structure in the county (having been built by the fall of 1818 on a small section of the southwest corner of what became Putnam County, located just south of land encompassed by the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary's). Records show the court met in session at Athey's cabin in June 1822 and again that September, but the assigned commissioners failed to accomplish their task of selecting a county seat. In January 1823, a second group of commissioners was assigned by the legislature to select the county seat by that April, which they accomplished with the designation of Greencastle, located at the geographic center of the county. An incentive was 70 acres of ground donated for the county seat at Greencastle by Ephraim and Rebecca Dukes, who conveyed the corresponding deed in September 1823.
The county's boundary was changed on February 12, 1825, when Clay County was created. It has retained its present configuration since that time.
Geography The terrain of northern Putnam County is mostly flat; rolling hills become more evident in the center and southwest portions. At the time of settlement, the county was completely tree-covered (poplar, oak, walnut, maple, beech, and hickory), but presently the flat portions have been cleared and used for agriculture; the drainage areas are still wooded.Putnam County IN (Google Maps, accessed 4 October 2020) Walnut Creek drains the east central part of the county, flowing south-southwestward into Owen County. Big Walnut Creek drains the upper part of the county, flowing southwestward into Parke County, where it is captured in the Cecil M. Harden Lake. The highest point in the county ( ASL) is a gradual rise SW of Bainbridge.Putnam County High Point, Indiana (PeakBagger.com, accessed 4 October 2020)
Limestone deposits were extracted beginning in the nineteenth century, and a large iron-ore vein southwest of Cloverdale was discovered in the 1860s.
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.55%) is land and (or 0.45%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Montgomery County – north Hendricks County – east Morgan County – southeast Owen County – south Clay County – southwest Parke County – west
Lakes Cagles Mill Lake (part) Glenn Flint Lake Heritage Lake
Protected areas DePauw University Nature Park Fern Cliff Nature Preserve Lieber State Recreation Area
Cities Greencastle (county seat)
Towns
Bainbridge Cloverdale Fillmore Roachdale Russellville
Census-designated places Heritage Lake Van Bibber Lake
Unincorporated places
Barnard Belle Union Blakesburg Brick Chapel Broad Park Brunerstown Cagle Mill Carpentersville Cary Clinton Falls Cradick Corner Fincastle Groveland Hirt Corner Jenkinsville Keytsville Limedale Manhattan Morton Mount Meridian New Maysville Pleasant Gardens Portland Mills Putnamville Raab Crossroads Raccoon Reelsville Vivalia
Townships
Clinton Cloverdale Floyd Franklin Greencastle Jackson Jefferson Madison Marion Monroe Russell Warren Washington
Major highways
Interstate 70 U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 231 Indiana State Road 42 Indiana State Road 75 Indiana State Road 236 Indiana State Road 240 Indiana State Road 243
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in Greencastle have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.
Government
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 legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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.
Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.
Court:
County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. These officers are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county. The current Putnam County Jail was built in 1995 for $5.6 million.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Putnam County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)28,46429,08933,97235,12833,15097.60%95.96%94.32%92.53%90.26%Black or African American alone (NH)4288131,0441,4851,0241.47%2.68%2.90%3.91%2.79%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)367110290700.12%0.23%0.28%0.24%0.19%Asian alone (NH)681521852733550.23%0.50%0.51%0.72%0.97%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census111014xx0.03%0.03%0.04%Other race alone (NH)25813341260.09%0.03%0.04%0.09%0.34%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2803561,203xx0.78%0.94%3.28%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1421824125877840.49%0.60%1.14%1.55%2.13%Total29,16330,31536,01937,96336,726 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 36,726. The median age was 40.5 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 110.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 112.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 90.8% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.
27.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 72.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 13,404 households in the county, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.9% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 14,946 housing units, of which 10.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.9% were owner-occupied and 23.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%.
2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 37,963 people, 12,917 households, and 9,256 families in the county. The population density was . There were 14,706 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% white, 4.0% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 15.3% were American, 12.7% were Irish, and 12.6% were English.
Of the 12,917 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 37.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $59,354. Males had a median income of $44,615 versus $29,211 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,441. About 7.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Points of interest
Big Walnut Sports Park Big Walnut Sports Park began as an all-volunteer effort in 1988. In May 2014, the nearly park on Greencastle's far east side was deeded to the city of Greencastle. The park offers baseball, softball, and little league fields along with soccer fields, a walking trail, picnic tables, Frisbee golf, and a new dog park.
Cagles Mill Lake In 1952, Cagles Mill Lake was built as Indiana's first flood−control reservoir, protecting the Eel and White river watersheds. Mill Creek feeds the lake and is home to Cataract Falls. In the 1800s, the future Lieber State Recreation Area was populated by the Miami, Shawnee, and Potawatomi. In 1809, what was left of the great Miami Indian Confederacy sold the now southern one-third of Indiana to the US government, when the 10 O'Clock Treaty Line, which passes through Lieber SRA, was laid out.
DePauw University Nature Park