Spencer County, Indiana

Spencer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,810. The county seat is Rockport. Despite not being in the Owensboro Metropolitan Area, the entire riverfront of the city of Owensboro, Kentucky borders the southern tip of the county.

History

Spencer County was formed in 1818 from parts of Warrick County and Perry County. It was named for Captain Spier Spencer, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was also the namesake for Spencer, Indiana, the county seat of Owen County.

Abraham Lincoln lived in Spencer County from 1816 to 1830, between the ages of seven and twenty-one. Originally, the area his family settled in was in Perry County with Spencer County being formed almost two years later. His family moved to Illinois in 1830. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is located at the site of the Lincoln family farm. In addition, the graves of his mother Nancy Lincoln and sister Sarah Lincoln Grigsby are located in Spencer County.

On December 16, 1900, two African-American men, Bud Rowland and Jim Henderson, were lynched by the county courthouse in Rockport after being arrested as suspects in the brutal robbery and killing of a white barber at 2 am the night before. A mob estimated at 1,500 broke open the jail and took them out, hanging them from a tree by the courthouse, and shooting their bodies numerous times. John Rolla was accused by Rowlands as a suspect and also lynched. This was the second-highest number of lynchings in the state, though it pales in comparison to lynchings in Southern states.

The current Spencer County courthouse was built in 1921. It is the fifth courthouse to serve the county.

County attractions include the town of Santa Claus, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, and Santa's Candy Castle.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey is located at the northeastern corner of Spencer County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.83%) is land and (or 1.17%) is water.

In recent years, average temperatures in Rockport 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 June 1944. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in October 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.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Spencer County, Indiana – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|19,101

|19,221

|19,793

|20,101

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,368

|98.66%

|98.62%

|97.07%

|95.94%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |92.72%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|118

|111

|110

|96

|style='background: #ffffe6; |129

|0.61%

|0.57%

|0.54%

|0.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.65%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|24

|35

|44

|38

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44

|0.12%

|0.18%

|0.22%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%

|Asian alone (NH)

|31

|33

|39

|69

|style='background: #ffffe6; |73

|0.16%

|0.17%

|0.19%

|0.33%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28

|0.03%

|0.01%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|91

|121

|style='background: #ffffe6; |491

|0.45%

|0.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.48%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|81

|89

|303

|517

|style='background: #ffffe6; |676

|0.42%

|0.46%

|1.49%

|2.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.41%

|Total

|19,361

|19,490

|20,391

|20,952

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,810

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,810. The median age was 43.9 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.

There were 7,882 households in the county, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.3% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 8,872 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.5% of the population.

Of the 8,082 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.9% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 41.9 years.

Education

It has two school districts, North Spencer County School Corporation and South Spencer County School Corporation.

Notable people

H. Justin Davidson, sixth dean, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University
Ken Dilger, former professional football player, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Del Harris, Member, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; vice president, Texas Legends professional basketball team
Florence Henderson, former singer and actress
Roger Kaiser, former professional basketball player and coach
Bill Peet, former children's author
Thomas Gamble Pitcher, former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
Howard Schnellenberger, former professional and collegiate football coach, head coach, 1983 Miami Hurricanes national championship team
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States