Ferdinand is a town in Ferdinand Township, Dubois County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The town was settled by mostly German-speaking people from central Europe. At one time Ferdinand was known as the wooden shoe village. At the end of the 19th century, Ferdinand contained many businesses, including a machine works, a brick works, brewery, several taverns, and a dairy.
The Ferdinand post office has been in operation since 1850.
In 1867, the Monastery of Immaculate Conception was founded in Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was incorporated as a town in 1905.
In 1906, the Ferdinand News was established as the local newspaper.
Just prior to World War II the Civilian Conservation Corps created the Ferdinand State Forest.
The Monastery Immaculate Conception and Dr. Alois Wollenmann House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
thumb|Photo from Small Town Indiana photo survey.
Geography
Ferdinand is located at (38.225392, -86.860996).
According to the 2010 census, Ferdinand has a total area of , of which (or 98.27%) is land and (or 1.73%) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ferdinand had a population of 2,157. The median age was 45.7 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 77.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 73.1 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 868 households in Ferdinand, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.6% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 2,157 people, 823 households, and 566 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 866 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.
There were 823 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the town was 45.1 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 44.5% male and 55.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census
Churches
- St. Ferdinand Catholic Church