Russiaville, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Russiaville is a town in Liberty Township, Howard County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
, residents consciously changed the pronunciation of Russiaville's name in order to disassociate their town from Russia
, the leading state of the Soviet Union
. A map from the 1840s-1850s hanging in the Quaker Collection of Earlham College
in Richmond, Indiana
, clearly shows a county named Richardville including the current town of Russiaville with the older spelling. Oral history has suggested "Rouchardville" as the earlier spelling, but Richardville is correct.
As stated on the Honey Creek Township entry, "Honey Creek was organized in 1841 as a township in the northeastern corner of neighboring Clinton County. The township's early population tended to be politically Republican, so the Republican party in Howard County and the Democrats in Clinton County collaborated to have Honey Creek Township removed from Clinton and added in 1850 to Howard.[2]"
Russiaville became a Quaker settlement in the years before the Civil War
, and a stop on the Underground Railroad
could be found in nearby New London, then the location of the Friends Meeting serving the entire area. There is a legend that the stop included a tunnel under the town from a house to a cave in the hollow of Honey Creek very near the location of the Friends Meetinghouse.
Russiaville is the birthplace of Jonathan Dixon Maxwell (Sept. 3, 1864), builder of the Maxwell automobile
. He is buried there.
Almost all of the town was destroyed on April 11, 1965, by an F4 tornado that was part of the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. It had a population of 1,094 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,092 people, 425 households, and 317 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,361.4 people per square mile (527.0/km²). There were 446 housing units at an average density of 556.0 per square mile (215.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.08% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.27% from other races
, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 425 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,875, and the median income for a family was $46,094. Males had a median income of $38,833 versus $25,875 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,804. About 4.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Western High School competes in the Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC)
for athletics.
, The Rose Garden flower shop, Subway
, Pizza King, Gambino's Pizza, a doctor's office, Stout and Sons Funeral Service and Furniture Store, a Phillip's 66 convenience store, a Petro Plus service station, and an ice cream parlor.
Mark Fulk, President
Jeff Lipinski, Vice President
Don Parvin, Counil Member
Cynthia Aeschliman, Council Member
Robert Hewitt, Council Member
Town Attorney, King & Scott LLP
Clerk Treasurer, Linda Downey
Regular Town Council Meetings are held monthly on the third Monday of each month.
Etymology
The French pronunciation of "Ri-shar-ville" led through corruption to the current spelling, maintaining the approximate pronunciation "Roo-sha-ville" throughout its history. Seeming connection through spelling to Russia led to the naming of the town high school mascot "Cossacks" until county consolidation changed Russiaville High School to Western High School in 1949. Some theorize an alternate history, that during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, residents consciously changed the pronunciation of Russiaville's name in order to disassociate their town from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the leading state of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. A map from the 1840s-1850s hanging in the Quaker Collection of Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
in Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
, clearly shows a county named Richardville including the current town of Russiaville with the older spelling. Oral history has suggested "Rouchardville" as the earlier spelling, but Richardville is correct.
History
Organized in 1844, Howard County itself was first known as Richardville County in honor of Miami Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville, . His Miami name was Pe-che-wa, which translates to Wildcat. The Wildcat Creek watershed contains most of Howard and Clinton Counties. Another chief of the Miami, She-Moc-E-Nish, was granted the Anthony Wayne Flag, also known as the Greenville Treaty Flag. This was passed down to French-Indian descendants of the family name Aveline, who were eventually linked by marriage to one of the earliest Honey Creek Township families. The Evans family is linked to both the Thomases and the Brubakers, all of whom have lands within the Wildcat Creek watershed dating back to the times of the earliest settlements. A history of this flag can be seen at the Indiana Historical Bureau, (**in.gov/history/2901.htm)As stated on the Honey Creek Township entry, "Honey Creek was organized in 1841 as a township in the northeastern corner of neighboring Clinton County. The township's early population tended to be politically Republican, so the Republican party in Howard County and the Democrats in Clinton County collaborated to have Honey Creek Township removed from Clinton and added in 1850 to Howard.[2]"
Russiaville became a Quaker settlement in the years before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
could be found in nearby New London, then the location of the Friends Meeting serving the entire area. There is a legend that the stop included a tunnel under the town from a house to a cave in the hollow of Honey Creek very near the location of the Friends Meetinghouse.
Russiaville is the birthplace of Jonathan Dixon Maxwell (Sept. 3, 1864), builder of the Maxwell automobile
Maxwell automobile
The Maxwell was a brand of automobiles manufactured in the United States of America from about 1904 to 1925. The present-day successor to the Maxwell company is Chrysler Group.-History:...
. He is buried there.
Almost all of the town was destroyed on April 11, 1965, by an F4 tornado that was part of the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. It had a population of 1,094 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Russiaville is located at 40°25′8"N 86°16′19"W (40.418852, -86.272010).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,092 people, 425 households, and 317 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,361.4 people per square mile (527.0/km²). There were 446 housing units at an average density of 556.0 per square mile (215.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.08% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 425 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,875, and the median income for a family was $46,094. Males had a median income of $38,833 versus $25,875 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $20,804. About 4.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Highway
-
IN-26Indiana State Road 26State Road 26 is an east–west road in central Indiana in the United States that crosses the entire state from east to west, covering a distance of about .-Route description:...
to LafayetteLafayette, IndianaLafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
(West) and Hartford CityHartford City, IndianaHartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the northeast central portion of the state, the small farming community experienced a 15-year “boom” beginning in the late 1880s...
(East)
School districts
- Western School CorporationWestern School CorporationWestern School Corporation is a public school district which serves Russiaville, Alto, New London, West Middleton, and southwestern Kokomo in Howard County, Indiana. The school buildings themselves straddle two Howard County townships, Harrison and Monroe...
http://www.western.k12.in.us (K-12)
Western High School competes in the Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC)
Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC)
The Mid-Indiana Conference, or MIC, is a high school athletic conference which is located in northcentral Indiana, USA. This conference serves many high schools located in Cass, Hamilton, Howard, and Miami Counties.-High school listing:-Former Members:...
for athletics.
Local churches
- First Baptist Church
- Honeycreek Missionary Baptist Church
- Lynn Friends Church
- Main Street Christian Church
- New London Friends Church
- Russiaville Friends Church
- Russiaville United Methodist Church
Business
Some local businesses in Russiaville are Martin Bros. Appliances, NAPA Auto Parts, Waddells IGAIGA (supermarkets)
IGA is a brand of grocery stores active in more than 30 countries. Contrasting with the chain store business model, IGA operates as a franchise through stores that are owned separately from the brand. Many of these stores operate in small town markets and belong to families that manage them...
, The Rose Garden flower shop, Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, Pizza King, Gambino's Pizza, a doctor's office, Stout and Sons Funeral Service and Furniture Store, a Phillip's 66 convenience store, a Petro Plus service station, and an ice cream parlor.
Festivals
- Western Days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday immediately following Memorial Day
- Koh-Koh-Mah & Foster Living History Encampment, mid-September
Movies Filmed in Russiaville
- The Ryan White Story (1988), starring Judith LightJudith LightJudith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light...
and Lukas HaasLukas HaasLukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
Government
Town CouncilMark Fulk, President
Jeff Lipinski, Vice President
Don Parvin, Counil Member
Cynthia Aeschliman, Council Member
Robert Hewitt, Council Member
Town Attorney, King & Scott LLP
Clerk Treasurer, Linda Downey
Regular Town Council Meetings are held monthly on the third Monday of each month.