Steuben County, Indiana

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Steuben County, Indiana
Steuben Co IN Courthouse.jpg
Steuben County Courthouse, in Angola, Indiana. The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. For a list of all such sites in Steuben County, see National Register of Historic Places listings in Steuben County, Indiana.
Map of Indiana highlighting Steuben County
Location in the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1837
Named for Baron Frederick von Steuben
Seat Angola
Largest city Angola
Area
 • Total 322.47 sq mi (835 km2)
 • Land 308.94 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Water 13.53 sq mi (35 km2), 4.20%
Population
 • (2010) 34,185
 • Density 111/sq mi (42.75/km²)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes: Indiana county number 76

Steuben County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county was named after Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military officer who helped train the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Today, the county contains a state park and 105 lakes of various sizes. Some of the larger lakes are Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Jimmerson Lake, Lake Gage, and Crooked Lake. As of 2010, the county population was 34,185.[1] The county seat is Angola.[2]

History

From the 1876 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana:[3]

The smoke from the first permanent settler's cabin first arose within the present limits of Steuben County in the spring of 1831. That settler was Gideon Langdon. His rude cabin was in the southwest quarter of Section 5, Jackson Township, afterward known as the Town farm. Langdon, on the 17th of September, in the year following, made the first entry of land recorded in the county, being the east half of the quarter named.
It was in what is now Jackson Township that the first settlers mostly located. Jackson Township contains considerable prairie land, and the first immigrants, at a time when their choice was unrestricted, naturally selected the rich, fertile soil there, because of the comparative ease with which it was brought under cultivation.
The next settlers were John and Jacob Stayner, and their families - twelve persons in all. The Stayners came from Ohio, and arrived in Jackson Township on May 16, 1831. John built on the north side of the prairie, and entered the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 5, September 27, 1832, being ten days after Langdon's entry, and the second made in the present limits of the county.[4]
The two brothers had been soldiers under Jackson in the War of 1812, and were both strong and hearty men. John Stayner lived upon the land entered by him until his death in 1870. He was sent to the Legislature, and the township in which he lived was, at his instance, named Jackson in honor of his old military chieftain.
The first death was that of Mrs. Gideon Langdon, in 1832. The remains were interred in the prairie burying ground, on land that has since passed into the possession of D. H. Roberts.
The first marriage was contracted between James Huntsman and Hannah Davis, in 1832, before the organization of the county.
The first schoolhouse erected in the county was on the north side of Jackson Prairie. Hannah Davis, the first bride in the little community, was the first teacher. The first schoolhouse was a rude tamarack cabin, erected at a cost of about $50, by John Stayner and Adolphus Town. Eliza Eaton was the next teacher, and received $2 for each pupil, that being the tax levied on those sending their children to the school.

Steuben County was officially created in 1837 from LaGrange County, and named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the American Revolutionary War.[5]

Geography

File:SteubenCountyIndiana.JPG
Steuben County and its lakes

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 322.47 square miles (835.2 km2), of which 308.94 square miles (800.2 km2) (or 95.80%) is land and 13.53 square miles (35.0 km2) (or 4.20%) is water.[6]

Cities and towns

Unincorporated towns

Townships

Adjacent counties

Steuben County touches the states of Michigan and Ohio.

Major highways

Attractions

  • Pokagon State Park, a popular state park with year-round activities is located entirely in the county.

Climate and weather

Angola, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2
 
 
29
14
 
 
1.8
 
 
33
16
 
 
2.9
 
 
44
25
 
 
3.4
 
 
57
35
 
 
3.9
 
 
69
47
 
 
3.9
 
 
78
57
 
 
3.7
 
 
82
60
 
 
4.1
 
 
80
58
 
 
3.3
 
 
73
50
 
 
2.6
 
 
60
39
 
 
3.1
 
 
46
30
 
 
2.8
 
 
34
20
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]

In recent years, average temperatures in Angola have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1981 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.83 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.08 inches (104 mm) in August.[7]

Government

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See also: Government of Indiana

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 county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also 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.[8][9]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[8][9]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[9]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[9]

Steuben County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress.[10]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,578 —
1850 6,104 136.8%
1860 10,374 70.0%
1870 12,854 23.9%
1880 14,645 13.9%
1890 14,478 −1.1%
1900 15,219 5.1%
1910 14,274 −6.2%
1920 13,360 −6.4%
1930 13,386 0.2%
1940 13,740 2.6%
1950 17,087 24.4%
1960 17,184 0.6%
1970 20,159 17.3%
1980 24,694 22.5%
1990 27,446 11.1%
2000 33,214 21.0%
2010 34,185 2.9%
Est. 2014 34,308 [11] 0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 34,185 people, 13,310 households, and 9,153 families residing in the county.[16] The population density was 110.7 inhabitants per square mile (42.7/km2). There were 19,377 housing units at an average density of 62.7 per square mile (24.2/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population.[16] In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 12.6% were English, 10.5% were Irish, and 8.2% were American.[17]

Of the 13,310 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 40.2 years.[16]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,154. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $29,614 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,950. About 7.7% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[18]

Education

Colleges and universities

File:Fremont, Indiana High School.jpg
Fremont High School

School districts

  • Fremont Community Schools
  • Hamilton Community Schools
  • M S D of Steuben County
  • Prairie Heights Community School Corporation

Notable people

See also

References

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  3. ↑ Andreas, Alfred T. (1876). Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana, Baskin, Forster, Co., Chicago.
  4. ↑ "There is some dispute as to whether they [the Stayners] or Gideon Langdon settled first, as they all came in at about the same time". History of Steuben County (1885), Inter-State Publishing Co., Chicago.
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  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ See 1920 Federal Census, Richland Township, Steuben County, Indiana, page 5B, Enumeration District 161; and; Theory and Practice of Communism in 1972 (Southeast Asia), Part I. Hearings of the House Committee on Internal Security, May 25, 1972, on northeastern Laos. pp. 1-4, 7761-7817. Testimony of Edgar M. Buell.

External links

 Branch County, Michigan Hillsdale County, Michigan
LaGrange County Williams County, Ohio
  Steuben County, Indiana  
Noble County DeKalb County

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