Jefferson is an unincorporated town in Washington Township

Washington Township, Clinton County, Indiana

Washington Township is one of fourteen townships in Clinton County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,193. The township was named for President George Washington.-History:...

, Clinton County

Clinton County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,866 people, 12,545 households, and 9,057 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 13,267 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. The town is named for U.S. President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

.

History

Jefferson was one of the earliest settlements in Clinton County, being laid out and platted before 1829 and situated in the most thickly settled part of the county at that point. It early on had a post office, which handled mail bi-weekly, and a store operated by Abner Baker and Aaron Southard which sold supplies both to the early pioneers and to the Indians.

When Clinton County organized in 1830, local landowners led by Abner Baker lobbied for Jefferson to be chosen as the county seat, but its non-central location worked against it. John Pence offered 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land and $100 for the establishment of the seat at Frankfort

Frankfort, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,662 people, 6,279 households, and 4,175 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,240.5 people per square mile . There were 6,682 housing units at an average density of 1,299.6 per square mile...

, and the commissioners appointed to select the site accepted.