Page Contents for Southport, Indiana

Statistics & Facts

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Government

Libraries.

Schools.

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Statistics & Facts

The Indiana state capital is Indianapolis.
The population of Southport is approximately 1712 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 767 (1990), 696 (2010).
The amount of land area in Southport is 1.661 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Southport to Washington DC is 518 miles.
The distance to the Indiana state capital is 8 miles. (as the crow flies)
Southport is positioned 39.65 degrees north of the equator and 86.11 degrees west of the prime meridian.
The city bird is the Cardinal.
The Southport city color is Red and White.

History & History Related Items

" She's laying to - she can't weather the first port south. Run up the sails, boy." Something like this was supposed to have been said by a seaman riding in an overland schooner. The old sea dog was traveling from Indianapolis to Louisville when the schooner stopped to take on a cargo of corn in the early 1800's. Thus giving Southport its name. Southport was established in 1832. In 1853, Southport was one of the first communities to be incorporated in Marion County. Southport went from being a town to a city in 1969, when it chose to be one of the excluded cities within the Unigov system. Like Beech Grove, Lawerence and Speedway, it retained its own mayor, city council and police department.
Jacob Smock was the first settler in Southport and started a farm in this area. He also built one of the earliest grist mills in Perry Township on Buck Creek. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, Buck Creek was the place to be seen on Sunday afternoon. The Society of that era would come to Buck Creek by horse and buggy to picnic along the banks of the creek. Today our Southport Park along Buck Creek is still a gathering place for picnics and family gatherings.
The town grew slowly through the 19th century; its population in 1880 was only 388. Railroad crossings on the southern edge of Indianapolis made travel to the south side difficult until tracks were elevated in the 1920's. Following this change and the introduction of the INTERURBAN, residents in Southport could commute to jobs in Indianapolis and the town gained a number of new inhabitants. The enlargement of Madison Avenue in the 1960's further increased accessibility to the south side. In 1960 Southport population was 892; by 1980 it was 2,266. Southport is a city of single - family dwellings; the housing stock in the city dates primarily from the 1960's and 1970's, although some historic homes remain. There are few businesses within the city limits and most residents work outside its borders. Southport's 1993 population was approximately 2,300.
Being a "crossroads area". Southport has been a busy and changing city with an interesting history. For example: Mary Bryan was the first woman to cross the Cumberland Gap in the movement west. The Bryan's settled in the area and started the Presbyterian Church here. Mary Bryan is buried in the old Southport Cemetery.
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Attractions

Message from the Mayor:
"A nice community in which to live." I hear this quite often and not just locally, but also when I visit other cities and towns around the state. It seems as though Southport has kept that small town friendly atmosphere while being in the midst of the large city of Indianapolis. Being small, we're able to serve the citizens on an individual basis. We believe families and their children will be happy living here ad it is a safe and pleasant environment.
Southport has medical facilities, good schools, all kinds of shopping and services nearby. Our Southport Park And Playground provides a good place for adults and children to enjoy. Many use our community room for reunions and parties. We Hope you enjoy the hospitality that Southport has to offer. Welcome to the best place in southern Marion County.

Nannette Tunget
Mayor of Southport (1999)
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Southport City Government

City of Southport
6901 Derbyshire Road
Southport, Indiana 46227-5133

City Clerk: (317)786-5489 Clerk Treasurer Office - (317) 786. 5489
Mayors Office - (317) 786. 3585
Perry Senior Citizen/Shelter House Reservation - (317) 783. 9231
Police Department - Emergency # 911
Administrative Office - (317) 787. 7595

Southport Libraries

The Southport Branch Library opened its doors for service on November 6, 1967, at 6840 South Madison Avenue in the Madison Square Shopping Center. It offered a collection of about 8,200 books housed in the small 2,750 square foot store front facility. Within three months of its opening the Southport Library ranked fifth in circulation among all the branch libraries. In line with the library's policy of establishing permanent, larger library-owned facilities, a building site for a new Southport Library was purchased on October 22, 1971, and the new facility was opened on April 1, 1974. Even before the move to the new facility, a group of Perry Township citizens organized a campaign to raise funds to purchase additional books for the new library. More than $ 5,000 was raised in the "Bucks for Books" project, tangible evidence of the high regard the residents of the community hold for the library
The Southport Branch Library currently houses over 100,000 items, including books, videocassettes, audiocassettes, CDs, and periodical and newspapers. We offer a wide variety of programs for children, adults, and families. some of these include a Summer Reading Program and November Read-Aloud for families, story programs throughout the year for preschoolers and school age children, and book discussion clubs and other timely programs for adults.
Library hours are Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Southport Schools

Students are our priority. The Metropolitan School District of Perry Township commits to promoting equitable, appropriate learning in an excellent educational environment. We pledge to challenge our students to acquire the knowledge and to master the skills necessary for lifelong success.
The Metropolitan School District of Perry Township is located in the south central portion of Marion County. Population of Perry Township is in excess of 80,000. The district serves over 11.500 students in grades K-12 making MSDPT the 11th largest school district in the state of Indiana. Including in this enrollment are approximately 1200 students from the Indianapolis Public School system as part of a 1981 desegregation court order.
The system is composed of nine elementary, two middle, two high schools and the RISE Learning Center. Eleventh and twelfth grade high school students may attend the Central Nine area vocational/technical school. Additional facilities include the administration building, educational technical facility, transportation center, service building, Holder Athletic Fields and Perry Township Stadium. The school district is currently renovating and providing additions to the middle schools and several elementary schools.
Perry Township is served By Indianapolis fincal instructions, newspapers, radio and television stations. The school district is accessible to all Indianapolis transportation facilities including an international airport, train and bus terminals, metro buses and major highways (I-65, I-465, U.S. 31, State Road 37 and 135). Indianapolis' cultural and recreational facilities are within easy access of Perry Township and include the Colt NFL team, the Pacers NBA team, the Indians AAA baseball team, the ICE IHL hockey team, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Indiana Repertory Theater; just to mention a few. Institution of higher education include Christian Theological Seminary, Marian College, Butler University, Indiana University - Purdue University of Indianapolis, and our neighbor, the University of Indianapolis. All schools have active parent-teacher associations/organizations which provide an opportunity for parents to be involved in school activities and decision making.