Bartholomew County, Indiana

Bartholomew County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 82,208 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Columbus. The county was determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to be home to the mean center of U.S. population in 1900. Bartholomew County makes up the Columbus, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie Combined Statistical Area.

History

The area now known as Bartholomew County was long populated by indigenous peoples, including the Miami, Potawatomi, and Shawnee. The county is the site of numerous mounds, and human remains dating back as far as 3,000 years have been uncovered in the county. Early settlers recounted the presence of large villages along the various creeks and rivers in the area. The area was within the territory of the Haudenosaunee, and was part of the lands officially ceded to Great Britain in the 1701 Nanfan Treaty. Encroachment by European settlers, contested by indigenous peoples, began in the years after the American Revolutionary War with the 1787 Northwest Ordinance. By then, Delaware people lived in the area. A series of treaties, beginning with the 1804 Treaty with the Piankeshaw, initiated the incorporation of the area into the United States. This process was ended with the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary's, although violent conflict with indigenous peoples was mostly over by 1813 and white settlers had begun to squat on the land by 1816.

Bartholomew County was formed on February 12, 1821, and was named for Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew, wounded at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Bartholomew and his fellow officer John Tipton led militia through the county in 1813, and Tipton purchased several parcels in the area in 1820, building a cabin at the confluence of the White and Driftwood rivers. The site of the county seat was chosen on February 15, 1821, by a team of commissioners, who suggested the name Tiptona, in honor of Tipton. In July of the same year, the Legislature renamed Tiptona to Columbus, in honor of Christopher Columbus.

left|thumb|225x225px|[[Eliel Saarinen|Eilel Saarinen's First Christian Church, shown here with Henry Moore's Large Arch, was one of the first buildings in Columbus built with the support of Cummins' philanthropy]]

The county's first general store was built in the fall of 1821, and trade routes connecting Columbus with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Madison were built by 1835. Although indigenous people continued living in Bartholomew County after its formation, they were soon forced out by settlers. A band visited the courthouse in 1830, and Dr. John Beck, an early settler, recounted visits by solitary natives as late as 1839. Today, the local economy continues to be shaped by the presence of Cummins and other manufacturers. Its built heritage attracts a large number of tourists and architects.

Geography

thumb|right|300px|Map of Bartholomew County

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.36%) is land and (or 0.64%) is water.

In recent years, average temperatures in Columbus have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

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. and Indiana House of Representatives districts 57, 59 and 65.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 82,208. The median age was 37.8 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.0% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.8% of the population.

There were 32,607 households in the county, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 33,098 housing units at an average density of .

In terms of ancestry, according to the 2010 census, 28.5% were German, 12.4% were English, 12.2% were Irish, and 10.7% were American.

Of the 29,860 households in 2010, 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.4% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 38.2 years.

Education

Public schools in Bartholomew County are administered by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation. The county's first tuition-free public charter school, the International School of Columbus, a middle school/high school, opened in 2009–10. The ISC was an International Baccalaureate World School offering the Diploma Program. The ISC closed due to financial difficulties in the fall of 2013.

Ivy Tech Community College Columbus is located in Bartholomew County.

References

External links

Bartholomew County official website
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation
International School of Columbus