Martinsville is a city in Washington Township, Morgan County, Indiana, United States.

History

Martinsville was founded in 1822. It is said to be named for John Martin, a county commissioner. A post office has been in operation at Martinsville since 1823.

The Morgan County Courthouse, completed in 1859, features a red brick and Italianate design, and is one of the few pre-Civil War courthouses in Indiana. Architect Isaac Hodgson designed the courthouse, and it was built by Perry Magnus Blankenship. Hodgson designed six Indiana courthouses including Jennings County Courthouse (1859), Morgan County (1857), Henry County Courthouse, Bartholomew County Courthouse (1871), and his largest in Marion County, in Indianapolis.

In 1899, Eugene Shireman, a Martinsville entrepreneur, turned his swamp land into fisheries and started Grassyfork Fisheries. Once dubbed the "Goldfish Capital of the World", today Martinsville has several large fisheries that sell fish to many parts of the world. Merritt Park on the northwest end of town is named for Albert.

Visitors would travel by rail and road to bathe and refresh in the mineral springs and waters. Many luminaries visited Martinsville in the early 20th century to enjoy the mineral waters and spas for their perceived therapeutic and restorative qualities.

In 1892, the Old Hickory Furniture Company was formed. The Morgan County Public Library's Digital Archive has a collection of photographs of Old Hickory furniture including some displays for Marshall Field & Co.

In recent years, Martinsville has an array of different businesses, with the courthouse square and downtown area being host to a number of locally owned restaurants, bakeries, and shops, and areas like the Grand Valley Shopping Center and Artesian Square being host to a number of restaurant chains and retail shops. In 2014, a local judge upheld an effort by the city to annex sufficient land to increase the size of the city by a third, making I-69 the frontage road for the city.

More than a dozen Martinsville locations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Race relations

Historically, Martinsville was the place of some racial conflicts, such as the 1968 murder of 20-year-old African American Carol Jenkins, who was stabbed to death with a screwdriver while selling encyclopedias door-to-door. Jenkins' murder remained unsolved for 33 years until Kenneth Richmond was arrested for the crime. Richmond was a Hendricks County resident who was passing through Martinsville on the night Jenkins was murdered. The white couple Don and Norma Neal, who called the police to try to help Carol a half-hour before she died, proposed a monument in Carol's memory on the courthouse grounds. The County Commissioners approved (2–1), the dissenting vote remarking it was the responsibility of the city not the county in the location for the monument. When many citizens contacted the commissioners later with similar feelings to that effect, the project was put on hold. That year, the Indianapolis Star reported that Martinsville still had a reputation among African Americans as a sundown town.

In 1998, high school basketball games in Martinsville between Martinsville High School and Bloomington High School North erupted in racist insults hurled at Bloomington players by Martinsville fans and assaults on two Bloomington players by Martinsville players. Conference Indiana banned Martinsville from hosting conference games for a year, the highest penalty ever leveled in high school sports in Indiana.

Many Martinsville residents dispute the reputation for racism and prejudice pointing out an annual award for service to the community named after a beloved African American citizen, Albert Merritt, who had a club for Martinsville boys in the 1930s.

Geography

thumb|An aerial photograph of Martinsville in June 2006, taken looking northwest.

According to the 2010 census, Martinsville has a total area of , of which (or 99.6%) is land and (or 0.4%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Martinsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Transportation

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Highways

  • (along what was SR 37) designated September 18, 2018

Rail

  • Indiana Southern Railroad

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Martinsville had a population of 11,932. The median age was 39.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 4,884 households in Martinsville, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.8% were married-couple households, 20.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 11,155 || 93.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 63 || 0.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 31 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 45 || 0.4%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 126 || 1.1%

|-

| Two or more races || 512 || 4.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 285 || 2.4%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,828 people, 7,910 households, and 6,990 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,973 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 7,610 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Martinsville on the Square
  • Farmer's Market Day
  • Morgan County Fair
  • Morgan County Relay for Life
  • Artie Fest
  • Art Sanctuary of Indiana
  • Merry MAC Players Community Theatre
  • Martinsville Community Band
  • Morgan County Antique Machinery Show

Education

The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville administers the public schools of Martinsville. Elementary schools include pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. Elementary schools are Brooklyn STEM Academy, Centerton Elementary, Green Township Elementary, Paragon Elementary, Poston Road Spanish Immersion School, Charles L. Smith Fine Arts Academy and South Elementary School of Communications. 5th and 6th grades go to Bell Intermediate Academy, while grades 7th and 8th attend John R. Wooden Middle School. Grades 9th through 12th go to Martinsville High School. There is also the Artesian Center of Excellence (A.C.E) formerly Hammons off-campus community school. Martinsville has one private school, Tabernacle Christian School, which has classes for preschool through twelfth grade.

Martinsville has a public library, a branch of the Morgan County Public Library.

Notable people

  • Josh Allison, racing driver
  • Emmett Forrest Branch, 31st governor of Indiana
  • William G. Bray. US House of Representatives (1951–1975)
  • Richard Bray, Indiana state senator
  • Benjamin Bull, lawyer and Wisconsin state senator
  • Glenn M. Curtis, basketball coach
  • Henry E. Pearcy, Jr., former professional basketball player
  • Charles E. Ford, newsreel and motion picture director
  • Ira Hall, Indy car driver
  • Bobby Helms, singer/songwriter who had six gold records
  • Joe W. Kelly, United States Air Force four-star general
  • Jeff Kottkamp, lieutenant governor of Florida (2007–2011)
  • Paul V. McNutt, 34th governor of Indiana
  • Mel Payton, former professional basketball player
  • Catt Sadler, former E! News anchor
  • Jerry Sichting, former professional basketball player
  • John R. Walsh, U.S. congressman and Secretary of State of Indiana (1958–1960)
  • John C. Wetherby, recipient of the Medal of Honor
  • John Wooden, Naismith Hall of Fame college basketball player and coach
  • Kayana Traylor, Women's professional basketball player current WNBA player for the Indiana Fever

See also

  • List of sundown towns in the United States

References

  • Reporter-Times.com, Martinsville's daily newspaper
  • Greater Martinsville Chamber of Commerce