Ripley County is a county located at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 28,995. The county seat is Versailles.

History

Ripley County was formed on December 27, 1816, in the same legislative act that created Jennings County. It was named for Gen. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, an officer in the War of 1812, who figured in the Battle of Lundy's Lane and the Siege of Fort Erie during 1814.

Geography

The county seat of Ripley County is Versailles, Indiana. It was selected as the county seat in 1818, and was laid out in 1819.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.64%) is land and (or 0.37%) is water.

|- style="background: rgb(204, 204, 204);"

!Township

!Established Year

!Area mi<sup>2</sup>

!Area km<sup>2</sup>

!Population

!Incorporated Towns

|-

|Adams

| align="center" |1858

| align="right" |43.79

| align="right" |113.42

| align="right" |5119

|Batesville (part), Sunman

|-

|Brown

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |53.67

| align="right" |139

| align="right" |1597

|

|-

|Center

| align="center" |1858

| align="right" |29.51

| align="right" |76.43

| align="right" |2657

|Osgood

|-

|Delaware

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |33.27

| align="right" |86.17

| align="right" |1437

|

|-

|Franklin

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |36.6

| align="right" |94.79

| align="right" |3773

|Milan (part)

|-

|Jackson

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |29.87

| align="right" |77.36

| align="right" |965

|Napoleon

|-

|Johnson

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |54.98

| align="right" |142.4

| align="right" |3685

|Versailles

|-

|Laughery

| align="center" |1819

| align="right" |25.97

| align="right" |67.26

| align="right" |4736

|Batesville (part)

|-

|Otter Creek

| align="center" |1858

| align="right" |41.69

| align="right" |107.98

| align="right" |1410

|Holton

|-

|Shelby

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |69.39

| align="right" |179.72

| align="right" |999

|

|-

|Washington

| align="center" |1823

| align="right" |29.33

| align="right" |75.96

| align="right" |2440

|Milan (part)

|-

|- class="sortbottom" style="background: rgb(221, 221, 221);"

|Ripley County

| align="center" |1816

| align="right" |448.06

| align="right" |1160.471

| align="right" |28,181

|

|}

Unincorporated communities

  • Allen Crossing
  • Ballstown
  • Behlmer Corner
  • Benham
  • Clinton
  • Correct
  • Cross Plains
  • Cross Roads
  • Dabney
  • Delaware
  • Dewberry
  • Elrod
  • Friendship
  • Haney Corner
  • Lookout
  • Morris
  • Negangards Corner
  • New Marion
  • Old Milan
  • Olean
  • Otter Village
  • Penntown
  • Pierceville
  • Prattsburg
  • Rexville
  • Spades
  • Stringtown

Ghost towns

  • Saint Magdalen

Adjacent counties

  • Dearborn County (east)
  • Decatur County (northwest)
  • Franklin County (north)
  • Jefferson County (south)
  • Jennings County (west)
  • Ohio County (east–southeast)
  • Switzerland County (at southeast tip)

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 74 – runs east–west across northern tip of county.
  • 20px US Route 50 – runs east–west across middle of county, through Holton and Versailles.
  • 20px US Route 421 - enters from Decatur County near northwest tip of Ripley County. Runs SSE to Versailles, then SSW into Jefferson County.
  • 20px State Road 46 – runs east–west across northern tip of county, paralleling Interstate 74 on its south side.
  • 20px State Road 48 – runs east–west across upper portion of county, through Napoleon.
  • 20px State Road 62 – begins at intersection with State Road 129, north of Cross Plains. Runs east through Friendship to Dearborn County.
  • 20px State Road 101 – begins at intersection with US Route 50 near east county line. Runs north to Penntown.
  • 20px State Road 129 – begins at intersection with State Road 46 east of Batesville, runs south to Versailles, then SSE through Cross Plains into Switzerland County.
  • 20px State Road 229 – enters from Franklin County at Batesville, runs SSW to Ballstown then south and west to Napoleon. Runs west to Decatur County.
  • 20px State Road 350 – begins at intersection with US 421 at Osgood, runs east through Delaware and Pierceville into Dearborn County.

National protected area

  • Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Versailles have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Board of Commissioners: The Board of Commissioners is the executive body of the county. Commissioners are elected county–wide in staggered four–year terms. One commissioner serves as board president. They are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

<!-- PresRow should be -->

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,995. The median age was 42.0 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.

There were 11,374 households in the county, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.5% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 11,952 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.

Of the 10,789&nbsp;households, 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 39.2 years.

Education

School districts include:

  • Batesville Community School Corporation
  • Jac-Cen-Del Community School Corporation
  • Milan Community Schools
  • South Ripley Community School Corporation
  • Sunman-Dearborn Community School Corporation

See also

  • List of counties in Indiana
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Ripley County, Indiana
  • Ripley County website
  • Ripley County in Indiana portal

References

  • Ripley County, Indiana collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library