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 Rowlands 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.
Cities and towns
ZIP Codes are in parentheses. Chrisney (47611) Dale (47523) Gentryville (47537) Grandview (47615) Richland City (47634) Rockport (47635) Santa Claus (47579)
Census-designated place
St. Meinrad (47577)
Other unincorporated places
Africa
Bloomfield
Buffaloville
Centerville
Clay City
Enterprise
Eureka
Evanston (47531) Fulda (47531) Hatfield (47617) Huffman Kennedy Kercheval Lamar (47550) Liberal Lincoln City (47552) Mariah Hill (47556) Maxville Midway New Boston Newtonville Patronville Pigeon Pueblo Pyeattville Reo Ritchie Rock Hill Sand Ridge Santa Fe Schley Silverdale
Townships
Carter
Clay
Grass
Hammond
Harrison
Huff
Jackson
Luce
Ohio
Adjacent counties
Dubois County (north/ET Boundary) Daviess County, Kentucky (south) Perry County (east) Hancock County, Kentucky (southeast) Warrick County (west)
Major highways
Interstate 64
U.S. Route 231
Indiana State Road 62
Indiana State Road 66
Indiana State Road 68
Indiana State Road 70
Indiana State Road 161
Indiana State Road 162
Indiana State Road 245
Indiana State Road 545
National protected area
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Climate and weather
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.
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.