Haubstadt is the second largest town, after Fort Branch, and fourth largest community in Gibson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,638 at the 2020 census. Haubstadt has recently become a bedroom community of Evansville and such, is part of the Evansville, Indiana, Metropolitan Area.
History
Haubstadt was originally called Haub's Station, and under the latter name, meaning "Haub town" in German, was laid out in 1855. Named after an early settler, Henry Haub, the town was incorporated in 1913.
Haub built the community's first home, combining a stagecoach shop, general store, and trading post to accommodate travelers on the Noon Day Stage Coach route running to Vincennes. A dance hall was later also built above Mr. Haub's tavern and store, and the complex would later become known as The Log Inn, the area's famous restaurant. The Log Inn is officially recognized as the oldest restaurant in Indiana.
The Haubstadt State Bank (now Town Hall) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Haubstadt Train Wreck of 1990
On June 14, 1990, a train, operated by Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX Transportation, was coming into Haubstadt from the south and around 7:00pm suddenly there was a large crash followed by a lightning-like flash from an electric pole accompanied by a thunderclap and a town-wide power failure. It did not take long for people to realize that a train had de-railed. In the derailment, at least five buildings, most of downtown and much of Haubstadt's history was destroyed in about ten seconds. When it was later learned the train was possibly carrying ammonia, Haubstadt was mostly evacuated, mainly by people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma. It was later found that the ammonia cars were empty and that the smell was residue that was released into the air. It was also discovered that the tracks had not been maintained properly and that a couple of loose ties coupled with the speed at which the trains move through Haubstadt and neighboring Fort Branch (between 55 - 65 mph) were to blame for the accident. There is fear among many in Haubstadt and nearby Fort Branch and Princeton that a worse train wreck may occur as the track's speed limit was increased to 70 mph from Princeton to Darmstadt in 2000.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Haubstadt has a total area of , of which (or 98.59%) is land and (or 1.41%) is water.
Haubstadt has several schools, including Haubstadt Community School (or HCS), Saints Peter and Paul (or Sts. P&P), and Saint James, located approximately 2 miles south of town.
The Haubstadt area has two catholic churches, Saint James and Saints Peter & Paul, both having their own K-8 schools, plus several smaller churches scattered in town or around the surrounding Johnson Township.
Demographics
left|200px|thumb|Town of Haubstadt, Indiana, 1924
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Haubstadt had a population of 1,638. The median age was 42.2 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.8 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 737 households in Haubstadt, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 17.1% 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 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 1,577 people, 667 households, and 431 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 701 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.
There were 667 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age in the town was 41.1 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census
Sports
Tri-State Speedway, a 1/4 mile dirt oval racing track, was opened in 1957, roughly 1 mile east of town, next to US 41. and is host to World of Outlaws and USAC National Sprint Car Championship racing.