| Bartholomew County, Indiana | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Indiana |
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 Indiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 12 February 1821 |
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| Seat | Columbus |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
409 sq mi (1,059 km²) 406 sq mi (1,052 km²) 3 sq mi (8 km²), 0.62% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
71,435 176/sq mi (68/km²) |
| Congressional districts | 6th, 9th |
| Website: www.bartholomewco.com | |
 Bartholomew County courthouse in Colombus, Indiana
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Bartholomew County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1900. As of 2000, the population was 71,435. The county seat is Columbus. It is part of the Columbus metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Bartholomew County.
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History
Bartholomew County was formed February 12, 1821 and was named for Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew, wounded at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The site of the county seat was chosen on February 15, 1821 by a team of commissioners, who suggested the name Tiptona, in honor of John Tipton; on March 20, the name Columbus was adopted.
Courthouse
The current Bartholomew County courthouse was built from 1870 to 1874 by McCormack and Sweeney of Columbus at a cost of $225,000.
It was designed by architect Isaac Hodgson, who was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1826 and immigrated to the United States in 1848; he designed six Indiana courthouses, including the one in Henry County.
The courthouse is built largely of brick and has mansard roofs typical of the Second Empire French style. Its asymmetrical "L" shape allows it to face two major streets in Columbus. The inscription indicating the commissioners, architect and date is high up on the east facade.[1]
Today the Bartholomew County Veterans Memorial sits adjacent to the Courthouse.
Government
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.
County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.[2][3]
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, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.[2][3]
Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[3]
County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.[3]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km²), of which 407 square miles (1,054 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7 km²) (0.62%) is water. Camp Atterbury occupies the northwestern corner of the county.
Adjacent counties
- Shelby County (northeast)
- Decatur County (east)
- Jennings County (southeast)
- Jackson County (south)
- Brown County (west)
- Johnson County (northwest)
Cities and towns
Unincorporated towns
Extinct towns
- Kansas
- South Bethany
Townships
Major highways
Interstate 65
U.S. Route 31
Indiana State Road 7
Indiana State Road 9
Indiana State Road 11
Indiana State Road 46
Indiana State Road 58
Railroads
Demographics
| Bartholomew County Population by year |
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2000 71,435 |
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As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 71,435 people, 27,936 households, and 20,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile (68/km²). There were 29,853 housing units at an average density of 73 per square mile (28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.17% White, 1.83% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 2.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.4% were of German, 25.2% American, 11.7% English and 9.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 27,936 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,184, and the median income for a family was $52,097. Males had a median income of $38,350 versus $24,652 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,536. About 5.9% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in Bartholomew County are administered by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation. The county's first tuition-free public charter school, the International School of Columbus, a middle school/high school, opens in 2009-10, enrolling grades 7-9 in its first year. The ISC is an International Baccalaureate Candidate school.
References
- ^ Counts, Will; Jon Dilts (1991). The 92 Magnificent Indiana Courthouses. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0253336385.
- ^ a b Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ a b c d Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2". IN.gov. http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
External links
- Bartholomew County official website
- Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
- Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation
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Johnson County | Shelby County | |
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| Brown County |  |
Decatur County | ||
 Bartholomew County, Indiana  |
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| Jackson County | Jennings County |
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