Jasper County, Indiana

Not to be confused with Jasper, Indiana.

Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 32,918.^[5] The county seat is Rensselaer.^[6] Jasper County is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Jasper County, Indiana
County
Jasper County Courthouse in Rensselaer
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the United States
Coordinates: 41°01′N 87°07′W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Region	Northwest Indiana
Metro area	Chicago Metropolitan
Created[1]	February 7, 1835
Established	March 15, 1838[2][3]
Named for	Sgt. William Jasper
County seat	Rensselaer
Largest city	Rensselaer
Boroughs	List De Motte (town) Remington (town) Rensselaer (city) Wheatfield (town)
Government
• Type	County
• Body	Board of Commissioners
• Commissioner	James A. Walstra (1st)
• Commissioner	Kendell Culp (2nd)
• Commissioner	Richard E. Maxwell (3rd)
Area
• County	561.39 sq mi (1,454.0 km2)
• Land	559.62 sq mi (1,449.4 km2)
• Water	1.76 sq mi (4.6 km2)
• Metro	10,874 sq mi (28,160 km2)
• Rank	3rd largest county in Indiana
• Region	2,726 sq mi (7,060 km2)
Elevation	696 ft (212 m)
Population  (2020)
• County	32,918
• Estimate  (2023)	33,535
• Rank	49th largest county in Indiana
• Density	59/sq mi (23/km2)
• Metro	9,618,502
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	46310, 46341, 46374, 46392, 47922, 47943, 47946, 47948, 47957, 47959, 47977-78, 47995
Area code	219
Congressional district	4th
Indiana Senate districts	5th and 7th
Indiana House of Representatives districts	4th, 16th and 20th
FIPS code	18-073
GNIS feature ID	0450494
Interstate and U.S. Route
State Routes
Airport	Jasper County
Waterways	Iroquois River – Kankakee River
Amtrak station	Rensselaer
Website	www.jaspercountyin.gov
Indiana county number 37

Demographics (2010)^[4]

Demographic	Proportion
White	95.8%
Black	0.6%
Asian	0.4%
Islander	0.0%
Native	0.2%
Other	3.0%
Hispanic (any race)	5.4%

History

The lands of present NW Indiana were explored by French explorer Robert de LaSalle. At that time, the area was inhabited by the Miami Confederation of Indians. Through White settlement, encroachment, and confrontation, the various indigenous groups were forced to cede their claim to the area. In October 1818, the Pottawattamies, Weas, and Delawares ceded their lands west of the Tippecanoe River to the government. In a treaty dated October 23, 1826, the Pottawattamies and Miamis ceded all their lands east of the Tippecanoe. A treaty dated October 26, 1832, with the Pottawattamies ceded control of the northwestern part of Indiana; on October 27 the Pottawattamies of Indiana and Michigan also relinquished all claim to any remaining land in those states.

Until the 1832 treaty of 1832, the future Jasper County area was not open to settlement; those who did come to Indiana before that time had flooded the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois through the Ohio Valley. Northwestern Indiana was also less desirable for initial settlement, the land being described as alternate swamps, sterile sand ridges and flat, wet prairies. It did proliferate in game, however, and eventually settlers found it. The first recorded settler was William Donahue, who located in present-day Gillam Township. He was a justice of the peace during the period prior to the county's establishment.

Although the settlers were sparse, the state legislature provided for two counties to be established in the area. The state legislature passed an omnibus bill^[7] that authorized thirteen counties^[8] and described their boundaries, although their governing structures were not established at that time. The new counties of Jasper and Newton were attached to White County for political and civil purposes.

In 1836 all the area north of the Kankakee River was partitioned from Jasper as Porter County. By 1837 preparations were made to create the Jasper County governing structure, with a county commission elected that year. They first met in January 1838 at the house of Robert Alexander in present-day Benton County. After that, the pro tem county seat was designated as the residence of George W. Spitler, in present-day Iroquois Township, Newton County and the first meeting was held in March 1839.^[1] The official date of formation of the Jasper County government is given as March 15, 1838.^[3]

Jasper County was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a famous scout for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.^[9] Jasper became famous in 1776, during the bombardment of Fort Moultrie, for erecting a new flagstaff under fire after the American flag had been shot down. Jasper was killed during the Siege of Savannah in 1779.^[10] Jasper County's twin county, Newton County, was named after Jasper's friend and comrade, John Newton.^[1]

A state legislature act dated January 29, 1839, caused the consolidation of Jasper and Newton, with Jasper retaining the name, and Newton being removed, and the consolidated area being seated at the Falls of the Iroquois River, with the name of Newton (the community's name was changed to Rensselaer in 1844). In 1840 the county of Benton was formed from Jasper's area. In 1859 the county of Newton was revived but with smaller area than before, leaving Jasper in its present form.

The Civil War

As early as 1825, the majority of the population were against slavery.^[11] By the time of the War, Jasper County was one of the few counties of Indiana that had a military organization under the law of 1855.^[12] The war greatly affected Jasper County when 935 soldiers were enlisted on behalf of the Union. This was considered an impressive amount at the time, with the average population around 5,000. Although there were several companies from Indiana, the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment produced Robert H. Milroy, the "Gray Eagle of the Army". Milroy became famous for suppressing Confederate mountain rangers, which caused the Confederate Congress to declare a $100,000 bounty on his head. The 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment became known for its involvement in the Battle of Philippi, one of the earliest battles of the Civil War at Laurel Hill (now known as Laurel Mountain).^[13] In comparing the proportions of men able to fight, Indiana contributed more soldiers than any other state to the Union.^[14]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 561.39 square miles (1,454.0 km²), of which 559.62 square miles (1,449.4 km²) (or 99.68%) is land and 1.76 square miles (4.6 km²) (or 0.31%) is water.^[15] Until the middle of the 19th century when it was drained to make farmland, this county was part of the second largest freshwater wetland in the US, with abundant flora and fauna.^[16] This is caused by the Iroquois River, one of the main tributaries of the Kankakee River that flows throughout Jasper County, a major water source for the area.^[17]

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 24
• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 10
• Indiana State Road 14
• Indiana State Road 16
• Indiana State Road 49
• Indiana State Road 110
• Indiana State Road 114

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Norfolk Southern Railway
• Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

Adjacent counties

• Porter County - north
• La Porte County - northeast
• Starke County - northeast
• Pulaski County - east
• White County - southeast
• Benton County - south
• Newton County - west
• Lake County - northwest

Municipalities

The municipalities in Jasper County, and their populations as of the 2020 census, are:

Cities

• Rensselaer – 5,733

Towns

• De Motte – 4,168
• Remington – 1,356
• Wheatfield – 904

Census-designated places

• Collegeville – 84
• Roselawn – 4,132

Unincorporated communities

• Aix
• Asphaltum
• Baileys Corner
• Deer Park
• Dunns Bridge
• Egypt
• Fair Oaks
• Forest City
• Fountain Park
• Gifford Park
• Kersey
• Kniman
• Laura
• Lewiston
• McCoysburg
• Moody
• Newland
• Parr
• Pleasant Ridge
• Stoutsburg
• Surrey
• Tefft
• Virgie

Townships

The 13 townships of Jasper County, with their populations as of the 2020 census, are:

• Barkley – 915
• Carpenter – 1,925
• Gillam – 619
• Hanging Grove – 209
• Jordan – 326
• Kankakee – 913
• Keener – 10,625
• Marion – 6,648
• Milroy – 256
• Newton – 825
• Union – 1,588
• Walker – 3,692
• Wheatfield – 4,377

Education

Residents of Jasper County attend public schools administered by four different districts in multiple counties:

• Kankakee Valley School Corporation^[18]
• Rensselaer Central Schools Corporation
• Tri-County School Corporation
• West Central School Corporation

High Schools

• Kankakee Valley High School^[18]
• Rensselaer Central High School^[19]
• Covenant Christian High School in DeMotte (grades 9–12)

Middle Schools

• Kankakee Valley Middle School^[20]
• Rensselaer Central Middle School^[21]

Elementary Schools

• DeMotte Christian Elementary School (preschool through 8)
• DeMotte Elementary School^[22]
• Kankakee Valley Intermediate School^[23]
• St. Augustine Catholic School
• Tri-County Primary School (K-2nd)
• Van Rensselaer Elementary School^[24]
• Wheatfield Elementary School^[25]

Colleges and Universities

• Saint Joseph's College closed

Hospitals

• Franciscan Health Rensselaer, Rensselaer – 46 beds^[26]

Climate and weather

Rensselaer, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2     30 14     1.7     36 19     3.1     47 29     3.5     60 39     4.2     72 50     4.3     81 60     3.8     85 64     3.5     83 61     3.3     76 53     3     64 41     3.2     49 32     2.7     36 21 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[27]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     50     −1 −10     42     2 −7     79     8 −2     89     16 4     108     22 10     110     27 16     98     29 18     88     28 16     83     24 12     76     18 5     82     9 0     70     2 −6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Rensselaer have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.67 inches (42 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.^[27]

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

The county government is a constitutional body, granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and 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.^[28][29]

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.^[28][29]

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.^[29]

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk, elected to four-year terms. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a political party affiliation and to be residents of the county.^[29]

Jasper County is part of Indiana's 4th congressional district. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 5 and 7^[30] and Indiana House of Representatives districts 4, 16 and 20.^[31]

United States presidential election results for Jasper County, Indiana^[32]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,383	73.56%	3,798	24.54%	294	1.90%
2016	9,382	69.61%	3,329	24.70%	767	5.69%
2012	7,955	61.57%	4,672	36.16%	293	2.27%
2008	7,669	59.39%	5,044	39.06%	200	1.55%
2004	8,056	68.02%	3,678	31.05%	110	0.93%
2000	7,212	64.58%	3,744	33.53%	211	1.89%
1996	5,173	51.33%	3,554	35.27%	1,350	13.40%
1992	4,809	48.62%	3,033	30.67%	2,048	20.71%
1988	6,009	64.67%	3,237	34.84%	46	0.50%
1984	6,537	69.22%	2,821	29.87%	86	0.91%
1980	6,316	68.09%	2,544	27.43%	416	4.48%
1976	5,398	60.76%	3,286	36.99%	200	2.25%
1972	6,369	76.21%	1,920	22.97%	68	0.81%
1968	4,996	60.54%	2,201	26.67%	1,055	12.78%
1964	4,497	52.81%	3,995	46.91%	24	0.28%
1960	5,364	64.32%	2,959	35.48%	16	0.19%
1956	5,374	72.63%	2,004	27.08%	21	0.28%
1952	5,556	72.23%	2,102	27.33%	34	0.44%
1948	4,320	65.42%	2,216	33.56%	67	1.01%
1944	4,364	66.63%	2,168	33.10%	18	0.27%
1940	4,462	61.62%	2,751	37.99%	28	0.39%
1936	3,540	52.67%	3,109	46.26%	72	1.07%
1932	2,897	44.54%	3,538	54.40%	69	1.06%
1928	3,700	65.65%	1,915	33.98%	21	0.37%
1924	3,679	64.36%	1,744	30.51%	293	5.13%
1920	3,942	66.87%	1,872	31.76%	81	1.37%
1916	1,995	56.50%	1,488	42.14%	48	1.36%
1912	1,238	37.54%	1,292	39.18%	768	23.29%
1908	1,939	55.19%	1,495	42.56%	79	2.25%
1904	2,137	58.58%	1,341	36.76%	170	4.66%
1900	2,083	55.33%	1,580	41.97%	102	2.71%
1896	2,032	55.05%	1,608	43.57%	51	1.38%
1892	1,364	49.98%	937	34.33%	428	15.68%
1888	1,604	59.30%	1,003	37.08%	98	3.62%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	1,267		—
1850	3,540		179.4%
1860	4,291		21.2%
1870	6,354		48.1%
1880	9,464		48.9%
1890	11,185		18.2%
1900	14,292		27.8%
1910	13,044		−8.7%
1920	13,961		7.0%
1930	13,388		−4.1%
1940	14,397		7.5%
1950	17,031		18.3%
1960	18,842		10.6%
1970	20,429		8.4%
1980	26,138		27.9%
1990	24,960		−4.5%
2000	30,043		20.4%
2010	33,478		11.4%
2020	32,918		−1.7%
2023 (est.)	33,535	[33]	1.9%
US Decennial Census[34] 1790-1960[35] 1900-1990[36] 1990-2000[37] 2010[38]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,478 people, 12,232 households, and 9,165 families in the county.^[39] The population density was 59.8 inhabitants per square mile (23.1/km²). There were 13,168 housing units at an average density of 23.5 per square mile (9.1/km²).^[15] The racial makeup of the county was 95.8% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.4% of the population.^[39] In terms of ancestry, 27.6% were German, 16.5% were Irish, 9.6% were Dutch, 9.3% were English, 6.9% were American, and 6.0% were Polish.^[40]

Of the 12,232 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.1% were non-families, and 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.0 years.^[39]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $63,842. Males had a median income of $50,984 versus $32,313 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,676. About 7.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.^[41]

Religion

The Catholic church is the biggest denomination in the county with 4,341 members, the second largest is the Reformed Church in America with 1,502 members and 2 churches (First Church and American Reformed Church) the third is the United Methodist Church with 1,300 members, the fourth largest is the Christian Reformed Church in North America with 1,013 members in 3 congregations as of 2010.^[42]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jasper County, Indiana

References

1. Hamilton Louis H. & William Darroch (1916). A Standard History of Jasper and Newton Counties, Indiana, Vol. 1. Chicago & New York: Lewis Publishing Co.
2. "Home Page / Jasper County, Indiana". www.jaspercountyin.gov.
3. "Origin of Indiana County Names". IHB. December 7, 2020.
4. US Census Bureau. American Community Survey, Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010, Table DP-1, 2010 Demographic Profile Data. U.S. Census website. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
5. "Jasper County, Indiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
7. Tyndall, John W. (John Wilson); Lesh, O. E. (Orlo Ervin) (June 28, 1918). "Standard history of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana : An authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and country". Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. – via Internet Archive.
8. The counties are Dekalb, Fulton, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Stark, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley. Newton was dissolved in 1839 and re-authorized in 1859.
9. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 168.
10. De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. pp. 562.
11. Scudder, Horace E (1888). Indiana: American Commonwealths. Cambridge: Boston & New York: The Riverside Press, Cambridge. pp. 235, 237, 438–400.
12. Hamilton Louis H. & William Darroch (1916). A Standard History of Jasper and Newton Counties Indiana, Vol. 1. Chicago & New York: Lewis Publishing Co. p. 159.
13. Hamilton Louis H. & William Darroch (1916). A Standard History of Jasper and Newton Counties Indiana, Volume 1. Chicago & New York: Lewis Publishing Co. p. 115,118.
14. Hoover Dwight W. (1980). A Pictorial History of Indiana. Bloomington: the Indiana University Press. p. 93.
15. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
16. Everglades of the North at IMDb 
17. Battle J.H. (1883). Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton. Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co. p. 411.
18. "Home - Kankakee Valley School Corporation". www.kv.k12.in.us.
19. "Rensselaer Central High School - RCHS Home". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006.
20. "Kankakee Valley Middle School". February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013.
21. "Rensselaer Central Middle School - RCMS Home". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006.
22. "DeMotte Elementary School". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006.
23. "Index.HTM". Archived from the original on December 24, 2012.
24. "Van Rensselaer Elementary School - Home". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006.
25. "Firstpage". Archived from the original on February 13, 2005.
26. "Franciscan Health is New Name for Leading Hospital System". Franciscan Alliance, Inc. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
27. "Monthly Averages for Rensselaer IN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
28. Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
29. Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
30. "Indiana Senate Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
31. "Indiana House Districts". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
32. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
33. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
34. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
35. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
36. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
37. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
38. "Jasper County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
39. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
40. "Selected Social Characteristics in the US – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
41. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
42. "Congregational Membership Reports | US Religion". www.thearda.com.

External links

• Jasper County official website
• myLocal: Jasper County