The Cities and communities of Parke County, Indiana*

Annapolis

Bellmore, Bloomingdale, Bridgeton

Catlin, Coloma

Diamond

Guion

Hollandsburg

Jessups

Lodi, Lyford

Mansfield, Marshall, Mecca, Milligan, Montezuma

Rockville (County Seat), Rosedale

Sylvania

Tangier

*This list of cities may not be complete. The list may contain towns, cities, villages, boroughs, townships, ghost towns and other populated places.

If you have information about any of these unlinked communities or have a community not listed at all, please send it to us and we will add a page for that community. Some of these places above may only be neighborhoods or local area names and are not listed with the census at all or just included in a larger surrounding designated census area..

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Information & Facts about Parke County, Indiana

Attractions & other Information - Climate - Economy - Genealogy - Geography -
Government - History - Libraries - Location - Organizations & Groups -
Other Facts & Figures - Population - Schools

Government

Parke County Clerks Office
116 W High St # 204
Rockville, IN 47872-1716
Phone: 765-569-5132

County Courthouse
116 West High Street
Rockville, IN 47872-1716
Phone: (317) 569-3422
FAX: (317) 569-4037

Learn more about the courthouse

The County Seat for Parke County is Rockville.

Parke County is divided into 13 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Florida, Greene, Howard, Jackson, Liberty, Penn, Raccoon, Reserve, Sugar Creek, Union, Wabash and Washington

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Population:

1940 - 17,358
1950 - 15,674
1960 - 14,804
1970 - 14,628
1980 - 16,372
1990 - 15,410
1997 - 16,446
2000 - 17,241
2003 - 17,366
2005 - 17,362

Density
2000 - 39 persons per square mile

Housing Units
2000 - 7,539

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Location:

Parke County is located in west-central Indiana. Surrounding counties are: to the west, Vermillon County. To the north is Fountain County. To the northeast is Montgomery County. To the east is Putnam County and to the south are Clay and Vigo Counties. It is near the Illinois border. The closest large city is Terra Haute, to the southwest.

Try this Parke County Map

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Climate:

Average snowfall: 16 inches
Average rainfall: 13.78 inches
Record high temperature: 107 degrees F.
Record low temperature: -32 degrees F.

Here is a current weather page for the county

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Other Facts and Figures:

Median Household Income:
2000 - $35,724
2005 - $37,809

Per capita income:
2000 - $16,986
2002 - $21,127

Median Age:
2000 - 38.9 years

Eastern time zone. Does observe daylight savings time during a portion of the year.

Median House value:
2005 - $80,266

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History:

Parke County was settled in 1818 by John M. Doty, who was also considered the first permanent settler. He came to Henry's Prairie in that year. He is also thought to be the founder of Rosedale in the county.

On January 9, 1827, the last day of the 1820-1821 session of the State Legislature at Corydon, an act was passed creating Parke County from Vigo County. The boundary extended to the Illinois line and included most of what is now Parke and Vermillion Counties. The name of Parke was selected in honor of Benjamin Parke, who had come to Indiana in 1801, was a member of the First Territorial Legislature, and first Representative in Congress of this territory. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him US Territorial Judge in 1808, and later President Madison named him US District Judge with Circuit Court powers. He was an organizer and first president of the Indiana Historical Society. Parke County has remained rural while much of the rest of Indiana has become highly industrialized and urban. In recent years a movement has been encouraged to keep the county rural and unspoiled and especially to save the 31 covered bridges that have become a nation-wide attraction, and in 1978 were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Here is a history summary for the county. This page has numerous historical links
More historical facts and links may be found on this page.

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Geography:

Latitude: 39.763
Longitude: 87.229

Elevation: 712 feet above sea level

Highest Point: 800 feet above sea level just west of the Putnam County line
Lowest Point: 460 feet above sea level southwest border of Parke County on the Wabash River

Size:
Total area: 450 square miles
Land area: 445 square miles
Water area: 5 square miles

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Genealogy:

US GenWeb Project page for Parke County
Cemeteries of Parke County
Kindred Trails page for Parke County
Parke County, Indiana Genealogy information

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Libraries:

Rockville Public Library
106 North Market Street
Rockville, Indiana 47872
Phone: 765-569-5544

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Schools:

Rockville Community Schools Corporation
602 HOward Avenue
Rockville, IN 47872

Southwest Parke Community Schools
4851 South Coxville Road
Montezuma, IN 47862
PHone: 765-569-2073

Turkey Run Community School Corporation
1497 E. SR 47
Marshall, IN 47859
Phone: 765-597-2750

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Economy:

Parke County Redevelopment Commission
105 North Market Street
Rockville, IN
Phone: 765-569-0226

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Organizations & Groups

Parke County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Phone: 1-765-569-5226
P.O.Box 165
Rockville IN 47872
Phone 765-569-5226

Parke County Chamber of Commerce
105 N. Market Street, Suite A
Rockville, Indiana 47872
Phone: 765-569-5565

Parke County Historical Society
P.O. Box 332
Rockville, IN 47872
Phone: 765-569-2223

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Attractions & Other Information

Parke County Museum
503 W Ohio St
Rockville, IN 47872-1650
Phone: 765-569-2223

Parke County has 30 covered bridges - find more information here

Parke County Covered Bridge Festival
Indiana's oldest and largest festival! We have Crafts, Food, Covered Bridge Route Maps, and more!
Held in October each year.
Call 1-765-569-5226

Rockville is the Covered Bridge Headquarters for the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.
Go to the Visitors Center for any information on the covered bridges!

Rosedale Strawberry Festival - held in June each year.
Berry Delicious Fun!
Enjoy country music, Big Band, Christian rock and more. Crafts, vendors, car and motorcycle cruise-ins, model train show, displays, Kid's activities, games, food and, of course, STRAWBERRIES!
See the website for exact dates.

An information guide to Parke County, Indiana

Bridgeton Grist Mill and Covered Bridge
A 267 foot long covered bridge over the mill dam and waterfall. The mill is at the end of the bridge.

Billie Creek Village
entertainment and educational opportunities the year-round.
Re-enactments, festivals, car shows and much more
PO Box 357
65 South Billie Creek Road
Rockville, Indiana 47872
Phone: (765) 569-0252

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