Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 36,019. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county seat is Greencastle .

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.

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.

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.

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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 483 square miles (1,250 km²), of which 480 square miles (1,244 km²) is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) (0.47%) is water.

Cities and towns

• Bainbridge
• Cloverdale
• Fillmore
• Greencastle
• Roachdale
• Russellville

Unincorporated towns

• Barnard
• Belle Union
• Mount Meridian
• New Maysville
• Parkersburg
• Putnamville
• Reelsville

Townships

• Clinton
• Cloverdale
• Floyd
• Franklin
• Greencastle
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Madison
• Marion
• Monroe
• Russell
• Warren
• Washington

Adjacent counties

• Montgomery County (north)
• Hendricks County (east)
• Morgan County (southeast)
• Owen County (south)
• Clay County (southwest)
• Parke County (west)

Major highways

• Interstate 70
• U.S. Route 36
• U.S. Route 40
• U.S. Route 231
• Indiana State Road 42
• Indiana State Road 75
• Indiana State Road 236
• Indiana State Road 240
• Indiana State Road 243

Demographics

Putnam County Population by year

2000 36,019 1990 30,315 1980 29,163 1970 26,932 1960 24,927 1950 22,950 1940 20,839 1930 20,448 1920 19,880 1910 20,520 1900 21,478 1890 22,335 1880 22,501 1870 21,514 1860 20,681 1850 18,615 1840 16,843 1830 8,262

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,019 people, 12,374 households, and 9,119 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 13,505 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.87% White, 2.93% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of American, 22.8% German, 12.7% English and 11.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,374 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 13.20% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 108.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,882, and the median income for a family was $45,916. Males had a median income of $31,989 versus $22,029 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,163. About 6.40% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.30% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

Covered Bridges

The Dick Huffman or Webster CB is the furthest south, just off I-70. Of course it's not at an exit.

Houck CB is out in the country, south of Greencastle.

As cited in the Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana, the Edna Collins CB is considered to be haunted.

The Dunbar CB is nearest to Greencastle. Take US 231 north, under the concrete railroad viaduct.

The Baker's Camp CB is east of Brainbridge on the old US 36. There are three in this area, including.

The Rolling Stone CB which is the next parallel north of US 36. A third covered bridge is one parallel north of the Rolling Stone. This and Pine Bluff CB are on gravel roads.

The Cornstalk CB is the furthest north. It's east of the town of Raccoon, which is just off US 231. It is on a secondary road out of town to the south.

References

1. Kobrowski, Nicole Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana 1st Ed. ISBN 978-0977413027

Further reading