Steuben County, Indiana

Steuben County, Indiana
Steuben County Courthouse, in Angola, Indiana. The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. For a list of all such sites in Steuben County, see National Register of Historic Places listings in Steuben County, Indiana.
Map of Indiana highlighting Steuben County
Location in the U.S. state of Indiana
Map of the United States highlighting Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded 1837
Named for Baron Frederick von Steuben
Seat Angola
Largest city Angola
Area
 • Total 322.47 sq mi (835 km2)
 • Land 308.94 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Water 13.53 sq mi (35 km2), 4.20%
Population
 • (2010) 34,185
 • Density 111/sq mi (42.75/km2)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website Official Site of Steuben County, Indiana
Footnotes: Indiana county number 76

Steuben County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county was named after Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military officer who helped train the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The county seat is Angola.[1] The area was developed for agriculture in the 19th century and has many natural resources. The county contains a state park and 105 lakes of various sizes. Some of the larger lakes are Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Jimmerson Lake, Lake Gage, and Crooked Lake. As of 2010, the county population was 34,185.[2]

History

This area was historically occupied by the Potawatomi people, who were one of the three tribes in the Council of Three Fires. Typically they lived in highly decentralized bands. Treaties signed by some leaders with United States representatives ceded large areas of their territory to the US.

Steuben County was officially created by European Americans in 1837 from LaGrange County, and named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the American Revolutionary War.[3] In 1840 the Potawatomi were forcibly removed from this area and neighboring territory in Michigan and Ohio to Indian Territory in Kansas.

A Potawatomi chief, Baw Beese, led a band that was based at what later became known as Baw Beese Lake nearby in Michigan. His daughter Winona married Negnaska and lived in what is now Indiana. She was executed in the 1830s by her husband's people after she killed Negnaska for selling her pony.[4] Winona's husband had pledged his rifle to Aaron B. Goodwin of Fremont, Indiana for the use of a 5-gallon keg. The Indians had the keg filled with whiskey at Nichols' store in Jamestown, and he took all the money they had. Negnaska sold his wife Winona's pony in order to pawn his rifle. Winona owned the pony outright, either as a gift from her father or having bought it with her own money. She killed Negnaska in anger for selling what was hers. Winona was held by the tribe for a few hours, until her husband's nearest relative arrived to execute her. As was their custom, he stabbed her to the heart as she had her husband.[5]

John D. Barnard and Sheldon Havens were said to have encountered the Potawatomi group after the execution; they helped them move the bodies to a nearby grave that had been dug. The Indians did not bury the bodies until after the white men were out of sight. But Dr. B.F. Sheldon found out about it and exhumed the bodies for dissection a few days later, outraging the mourning Potawatomi. About two weeks later some Potawatomi returned the keg to Goodwin and tried to retrieve Negnaska's rifle, but Goodwin pretended not to know the man had been killed and refused to release the rifle to his friends.[5]

Geography

map with highways and lakes
Steuben County and its lakes

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 322.47 square miles (835.2 km2), of which 308.94 square miles (800.2 km2) (or 95.80%) is land and 13.53 square miles (35.0 km2) (or 4.20%) is water.[6]

Cities and towns

Unincorporated towns

Townships

Adjacent counties

Steuben County touches the states of Michigan and Ohio.

Major highways

Attractions

  • Pokagon State Park, a popular state park with year-round activities is located entirely in the county.

Climate and weather

Angola, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2
 
 
29
14
 
 
1.8
 
 
33
16
 
 
2.9
 
 
44
25
 
 
3.4
 
 
57
35
 
 
3.9
 
 
69
47
 
 
3.9
 
 
78
57
 
 
3.7
 
 
82
60
 
 
4.1
 
 
80
58
 
 
3.3
 
 
73
50
 
 
2.6
 
 
60
39
 
 
3.1
 
 
46
30
 
 
2.8
 
 
34
20
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]

In recent years, average temperatures in Angola have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1981 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.83 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.08 inches (104 mm) in August.[7]

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.[8][9]

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.[8][9]

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 a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.[9]

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 serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.[9]

Steuben County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress.[10]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[11]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 69.6% 10,133 25.7% 3,744 4.7% 689
2012 62.4% 8,547 35.4% 4,853 2.2% 295
2008 54.1% 7,674 44.3% 6,284 1.6% 230
2004 65.4% 8,433 33.7% 4,345 1.0% 127
2000 61.7% 6,953 36.4% 4,103 2.0% 221
1996 49.5% 5,513 37.1% 4,124 13.4% 1,493
1992 42.4% 4,868 31.7% 3,630 25.9% 2,971
1988 68.6% 6,855 31.1% 3,114 0.3% 31
1984 72.0% 6,424 27.4% 2,441 0.6% 56
1980 62.9% 5,670 28.9% 2,606 8.1% 732
1976 59.2% 5,079 38.8% 3,323 2.0% 173
1972 69.8% 5,636 29.7% 2,401 0.5% 38
1968 62.5% 4,762 29.8% 2,268 7.7% 588
1964 50.3% 4,075 49.3% 3,999 0.4% 31
1960 67.6% 5,464 32.0% 2,588 0.3% 27
1956 71.6% 5,538 28.1% 2,171 0.4% 30
1952 73.0% 5,322 25.9% 1,886 1.1% 80
1948 67.3% 4,341 30.9% 1,996 1.8% 115
1944 71.6% 4,739 27.8% 1,837 0.6% 42
1940 66.4% 5,056 33.1% 2,524 0.5% 40
1936 53.0% 3,998 45.1% 3,402 1.9% 145
1932 48.4% 3,594 50.0% 3,717 1.6% 117
1928 71.4% 4,435 27.8% 1,730 0.8% 51
1924 68.5% 4,046 27.3% 1,610 4.2% 249
1920 72.5% 4,963 24.5% 1,676 3.1% 209
1916 50.7% 2,418 29.9% 1,427 19.3% 922
1912 32.3% 1,290 31.7% 1,266 35.9% 1,433[12]
1908 62.0% 2,704 33.3% 1,453 4.7% 204
1904 66.6% 2,864 29.3% 1,260 4.1% 177
1900 61.9% 2,715 34.7% 1,522 3.3% 146
1896 60.2% 2,655 37.9% 1,674 1.9% 84
1892 55.7% 2,100 33.6% 1,264 10.7% 404
1888 61.1% 2,352 35.0% 1,348 3.9% 148

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18402,578—
18506,104136.8%
186010,37470.0%
187012,85423.9%
188014,64513.9%
189014,478−1.1%
190015,2195.1%
191014,274−6.2%
192013,360−6.4%
193013,3860.2%
194013,7402.6%
195017,08724.4%
196017,1840.6%
197020,15917.3%
198024,69422.5%
199027,44611.1%
200033,21421.0%
201034,1852.9%
Est. 201734,484[13]0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16]
1990-2000[17] 2010-2013[2]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 34,185 people, 13,310 households, and 9,153 families residing in the county.[18] The population density was 110.7 inhabitants per square mile (42.7/km2). There were 19,377 housing units at an average density of 62.7 per square mile (24.2/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population.[18] In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 12.6% were English, 10.5% were Irish, and 8.2% were American.[19]

Of the 13,310 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 40.2 years.[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,154. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $29,614 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,950. About 7.7% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[20]

Education

Colleges and universities

Fremont High School

School districts

  • Fremont Community Schools
  • Hamilton Community Schools
  • M S D of Steuben County
  • Prairie Heights Community School Corporation

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. 1 2 "Steuben County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  3. ↑ De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. Indiana: R. S. Peale & co. p. 573.
  4. ↑ Fuller, George Newman and Beeson, LewisMichigan History Vol. 6 Lansing: Michigan State Historical Society, 1922. p. 582
  5. 1 2 History of Steuben County, Indiana, Chicago: Inter-state Publishing Company, 1885. pp. 550-551.
  6. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  7. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Angola, Indiana". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  8. 1 2 Indiana Code. "Title 36, Article 2, Section 3". IN.gov. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Indiana Code. "Title 2, Article 10, Section 2" (PDF). IN.gov. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  10. ↑ "US Congressman Mark Souder". US Congress. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  11. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  12. ↑ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,210 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 177 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 41 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 5 votes.
  13. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  19. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  20. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  21. ↑ See 1920 Federal Census, Richland Township, Steuben County, Indiana, page 5B, Enumeration District 161; and; Theory and Practice of Communism in 1972 (Southeast Asia), Part I. Hearings of the House Committee on Internal Security, May 25, 1972, on northeastern Laos. pp. 1-4, 7761-7817. Testimony of Edgar M. Buell.

Coordinates: 41°38′N 85°00′W / 41.64°N 85.00°W / 41.64; -85.00

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