Sullivan County, Indiana

Sullivan County is a located in the  state of, and determined by the  to include the  in 1940. As of 2000, the population was 21,751. The is. Sullivan County is included in the.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,176 (454 ). 1,158 km² (447 sq mi) of it is land and 18 km² (7 sq mi) of it (1.51%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (south)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)

History
On 25 February 1779 Col. captured at  from the British. About six miles (10 km) west at Pointe Coupee on the on , Capt. commanding three boats and 50 volunteers from Vincennes captured a reinforcement fleet of seven boats carrying 40 soldiers and valuable supplies and Indian trade goods. This small naval battle completed the destruction of British military strength in the.

The county's first settlement occurred between 1808 and 1812, by a religious society of celibates known as. The 400 members of this communal group occupied 1300 acre, seven miles (11 km) west of.

General ’s army made its last camp in Sullivan County at Big Springs on,. Harrison used Benjamin Truman’s fort as his headquarters. With spring water available, it was an ideal location for 1000 men, including 160 dragoons and 60 mounted riflemen. A soldier killed a fellow Kentuckian, Clark, either accidentally or in a grudge fight. The deceased was buried at the top of a hill that became the Mann Truman Cemetery. General Harrison and his troops continued north on the Wea Indiana Trail to build Fort Harrison and then proceeded to the.

A military action occurred in September, 1812, three miles (5 km) west/southwest of Sullivan County. While escorting supplies from near Vincennes to Fort Harrison at, Sergeant Nathan Fairbanks and approximately a dozen soldiers were ambushed - and most killed - by.

In 1815, was founded.

Sullivan County was formed in 1817. It was named for Daniel Sullivan, said by some sources to have been a general killed by Native Americans while carrying a dispatch between  and.

A log in  served as Sullivan County's first county seat from 1819-1842. Merom was an important river port and a stop on the stage route known as The Old Harrison Trail. William Henry Harrison's troops camped near here on their 1811 march to the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Pioneer heroine of abdominal surgery is buried in Sullivan County. Born in in 1763, she and her husband, Thomas Crawford, moved to, in 1805. Suffering from a huge abdominal, she rode 60 mi to , to submit to an operation never before performed. On, , performed this, the first , in his home. The ordeal lasted 25 minutes. There was no. Mrs. Crawford recovered completely and years later came to to live with her son, Thomas, a  minister. She died in 1842 at age 78. The restored McDowell home in Danville, Kentucky is a surgical shrine.

was founded in 1853 and became the.

Dedicated in 1862, served as a  and  until 1924. In 1936 it became —a rural enrichment center. Now owned by the, it serves as a camp, conference, and retreat center.

Numerous violent conflicts erupted in Sullivan County during the over differing war sentiments. On, ,  John Drake was fatally shot at a community picnic near here.

Organized nationally to bring culture to rural communities, 10-day religious and educational  event featured concerts, debates, plays, and lectures. ,, , , and were among the speakers here. ‎

In 1905, the Sullivan Daily Times was founded by Paul Poynter, patriarch of the most famous newspaper families in the country. Eleanor Poynter Jamison operated it, while her brother,, went on to operate the. Today it is still family owned and operated, one of only 200 daily papers of its kind.

In 1968 was founded. It contains a 468 acre in 1968 for swimming, boating and fishing. The lake is stocked with and hybrid, as well as ,  and. is also very popular. Sullivan County Park and Lake has 400 acre of land for as well as a 9-hole  course. The campground offers sites ranging from primitive camping to space for modern.

There is a movement in the county and among its neighbors to switch to the in the future. 

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 21,751 people, 7,819 households, and 5,574 families residing in the county. The was 19/km² (49/sq mi). There were 8,804 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (20/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.11%, 4.27% or , 0.31% , 0.13% , 0.02% , 0.33% from , and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were or  of any race. 25.4% were of, 18.1% , 16.8% and 9.7%  ancestry according to.

There were 7,819 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 115.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,976, and the median income for a family was $39,290. Males had a median income of $30,207 versus $20,790 for females. The for the county was $16,234. About 8.50% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.