Posey County
County
Posey County Courthouse in Mount Vernon
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°01′N 87°52′W / 38.02°N 87.86°W / 38.02; -87.86
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	11 November 1814
Named for	Thomas Posey
Seat	Mount Vernon
Largest city	Mount Vernon
Area
• Total	419.32 sq mi (1,086.0 km2)
• Land	409.57 sq mi (1,060.8 km2)
• Water	9.75 sq mi (25.3 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,222
• Density	60/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.poseycountyin.gov
Indiana county number 65 Southernmost county in Indiana Westernmost county in Indiana Lowest point in Indiana located at county's southwestern tip

Posey County is the southernmost, southwesternmost, and westernmost county in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its southern border is formed by the Ohio River, and its western border by the Wabash River, a tributary to the Ohio. As of 2020, the population was 25,222.^[1] The county seat is Mount Vernon.^[2]

Posey County is part of the Evansville, Indiana metropolitan statistical area. The Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, on the Ohio River, is the seventh-largest inland port complex in the nation. Mechanization of dock technology has altered the number of workers at the port, but Posey County is still the seventh-largest internal port in the United States, based on the tons of materials handled. Grain from the Midwest is among the products shipped.

History

After the American Revolutionary War, Posey County was originally considered part of the Northwest Territory, organized in 1787 by the new United States. As part of the Indiana Territory, it was organized in November 1814 from Gibson and Warrick counties. It was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Thomas Posey, who was then serving as Governor of the Territory.^[3] Mount Vernon was designated as the county seat in 1825. Its port on the Ohio River continues to be integral to the economy of the state and county.

Like other parts of southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Posey County was first settled by people from the Upper South, many of whom arrived via the Ohio River. Farming was the primary development at first. In the mid- to late 19th century, the county received many German immigrants. The river port had rougher areas of vice, and a higher population of single men, as was typical. African Americans were among the men who worked on ships and at the port.

Posey County was the site of the largest recorded lynching of African Americans in Indiana's history. In October 1878, a white mob lynched seven Black men in the span of a few days. No one in the mob was prosecuted, and at each court session for the next three years, the prosecutor asked the judge to "set the case over to the next session". A grand jury was called to investigate the mob action, but with an election pending for the prosecuting attorney, no one was ever indicted. Following years of research, Posey County judge Jim Redwine wrote a novel, Judge Lynch! (2008), based on the events. Redwine sometimes lectures on the riot, inviting his audience to imagine how they would have acted and stressing the injustice done to the African Americans who were denied the right to a fair trial.^[4][5]

Geography

The low rolling hills of southwest Indiana are carved by drainages; the Black River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into the Wabash River north of New Harmony. Rush Creek drains the county's central portion, flowing westward to discharge into the Wabash in Harmonie State Park. The area is largely cleared and devoted to agriculture or urban use, although the drainages and lowlands are still wooded or brush-filled.^[6]

According to the 2010 United States Census, the county has a total area of 419.32 square miles (1,086.0 km²), of which 409.57 square miles (1,060.8 km²) (or 97.67%) is land and 9.75 square miles (25.3 km²) (or 2.33%) is water.^[7] The lowest point in the state of Indiana is located on the Ohio River in Posey County, where the Wabash River flows into it, and Posey County's highest point (590 feet/180 meters ASL) is a small rise 1.6 miles (2.6 km) SSW from Saint Wendel, near the county's southeast corner.^[8] Posey county lies at the tripoint of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

Adjacent counties

Cities and towns

Townships

Unincorporated places

Protected areas

• Harmonie State Park
• Wabash Lowlands Wetland Conservation Area^[6]

Transportation

Major highways

Railroads

• CSX Transportation
• Evansville Western Railway

River ports

• Ports of Indiana-Mt. Vernon is "the 7th largest inland port in the United States and serves as a major multi-modal hub for the region." It handles more than 4 million trip tons of cargo annually. Southwind Maritime Center is the name of a related port facility, now considered within the complex. This port facility is important to the economy of the state of Indiana as well as to Posey County. It handles shipping of grain, grain products, coal, fertilizer, cement and minerals, from a region that produces a large amount of grain. This is the largest public port within 175 miles of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.^[10]

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Mount Vernon have ranged from a nighttime low of 23 °F (−5 °C) in January to a daytime high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −21 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.65 inches (67 mm) in September to 5.38 inches (137 mm) in May.^[11]

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts of roughly equal population in the county. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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.^[12][13]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is a three-person board of commissioners, who are elected at-large (county-wide), to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.^[12][13]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The court judge is elected to a four-year term and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable, who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.^[13]

County Officials: Other county elected offices include sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each serves a four-year term. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.^[13]

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