Borden, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Borden is a town in Wood Township
, Clark County
, Indiana
, United States
. The population was 808 at the 2010 census. The town's official name was New Providence until December 29, 1994.
. In 1884, the Borden Institute
was founded by William W. Borden, son of John Borden, as a college for teacher preparation and laboratory-based scientific studies. The town honored William W. Borden by unofficially renaming the town Borden. Around 1910 the Borden Institute became used as William W. Borden High School, or simply Borden High School, and served this purpose until 1955. The town became officially known as Borden in 1994.
Borden is served by the CSX (formally Monon
) rail system. Borden was once one of the main loading points for carloads of strawberries shipped by The Borden-Pekin Berry Growers Association north along the Monon Rail. The large volume of strawberries supplied by the area farmers influenced the naming of the athletic teams at Borden High School. The teams were lovingly nicknamed the Borden Berries in 1934 and the name was used until 1966 when it was changed by the student body to the Borden Braves. Many in the town today still prefer the Berries nickname for its quaintness and uniqueness. Strawberries continue to be farmed in the Borden area, especially in nearby Starlight, Indiana where the Starlight Strawberry Festival is held each Memorial Day weekend.
A well known establishment in Borden is Brewer's General Store. This family owned store was opened by John Brewer in 1931 and has been owned and managed by the extended Brewer family since. Due to Borden's rural setting, Brewer's has taken pride in marketing itself as a provider of goods in the Scenic "Hillbilly" Valley. Favorites of the store include a large wheel of Wisconsin Rat Trap Cheese, Amish Hard Candies and Hillbilly Popsickles (large dill pickles served on a wooden stick).
In the 1960s, several dams were constructed along the tributaries leading to Muddy Fork, which runs through the town. This helped keep Borden from being flooded during heavy rains. On April 3, 1974
, a massive F4
tornado
struck the west side of Borden before moving into nearby Daisy Hill, killing one person. On May 27, 2004, an F2 tornado struck the northern edge of the town, doing damage to the trees on the hillside but fortunately causing no deaths.
In the early 2000s, William W. Borden High School underwent an expansion project and a new building was built in place of the school parking lot. A new parking lot was then built at the old Borden Park. With the help and generosity of the Koetter family of Starlight, the town then built a new Community Park on the East end of Borden near the Kimball International plant, along Muddy Fork. It includes basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer field, a little league baseball complex, a walking path along the fork, and a war memorial for local residents who served in the military. The Borden Valley Day Festival is held in the park annually on the second Saturday in June.
Perhaps Borden High School's most famous alum is Joe Huber, who is regionally known as the founder of the popular Joe Huber's Family Farm and Restaurant in Starlight, Indiana. Norman M. Coats of Kirkwood, MO; a 1944 Borden High School Graduate, World War II Veteran, Businessman and Author; wrote a compelling book called "Growing Up on Daisy Hill", which chronicles his early years being born and raised in the nearby hills and hollows of Borden during The Great Depression. Borden is also the current home of nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 818 people, 331 households, and 231 families residing in the town. The population density
was 736.4 people per square mile (284.5/km²). There were 355 housing units at an average density of 319.6 per square mile (123.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.61% Native American, 0.49% Asian, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.
There were 331 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,962, and the median income for a family was $44,868. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,800 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,417. About 10.3% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.
Wood Township, Clark County, Indiana
Wood Township is one of twelve townships in Clark County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,462.-Geography:Wood Township covers an area of ; of this is water.-Unincorporated towns:* Chestnut Hill* Starlight...
, Clark County
Clark County, Indiana
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clarksville is also a major city in the county...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 808 at the 2010 census. The town's official name was New Providence until December 29, 1994.
History
The town was founded in 1816 by John Borden and was originally called New Providence, after the capital of Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. In 1884, the Borden Institute
Borden Normal School
The Borden Institute was located in Borden, Indiana. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. William W. Borden established the school in 1884 to serve the children of local farmers. The education "was a creative institution of unusual distinction" in the way it...
was founded by William W. Borden, son of John Borden, as a college for teacher preparation and laboratory-based scientific studies. The town honored William W. Borden by unofficially renaming the town Borden. Around 1910 the Borden Institute became used as William W. Borden High School, or simply Borden High School, and served this purpose until 1955. The town became officially known as Borden in 1994.
Borden is served by the CSX (formally Monon
Monon Railroad
The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway from 1897–1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana...
) rail system. Borden was once one of the main loading points for carloads of strawberries shipped by The Borden-Pekin Berry Growers Association north along the Monon Rail. The large volume of strawberries supplied by the area farmers influenced the naming of the athletic teams at Borden High School. The teams were lovingly nicknamed the Borden Berries in 1934 and the name was used until 1966 when it was changed by the student body to the Borden Braves. Many in the town today still prefer the Berries nickname for its quaintness and uniqueness. Strawberries continue to be farmed in the Borden area, especially in nearby Starlight, Indiana where the Starlight Strawberry Festival is held each Memorial Day weekend.
A well known establishment in Borden is Brewer's General Store. This family owned store was opened by John Brewer in 1931 and has been owned and managed by the extended Brewer family since. Due to Borden's rural setting, Brewer's has taken pride in marketing itself as a provider of goods in the Scenic "Hillbilly" Valley. Favorites of the store include a large wheel of Wisconsin Rat Trap Cheese, Amish Hard Candies and Hillbilly Popsickles (large dill pickles served on a wooden stick).
In the 1960s, several dams were constructed along the tributaries leading to Muddy Fork, which runs through the town. This helped keep Borden from being flooded during heavy rains. On April 3, 1974
Super Outbreak
The Super Outbreak is the second largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the tornado outbreak of April 25–28, 2011...
, a massive F4
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
struck the west side of Borden before moving into nearby Daisy Hill, killing one person. On May 27, 2004, an F2 tornado struck the northern edge of the town, doing damage to the trees on the hillside but fortunately causing no deaths.
In the early 2000s, William W. Borden High School underwent an expansion project and a new building was built in place of the school parking lot. A new parking lot was then built at the old Borden Park. With the help and generosity of the Koetter family of Starlight, the town then built a new Community Park on the East end of Borden near the Kimball International plant, along Muddy Fork. It includes basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer field, a little league baseball complex, a walking path along the fork, and a war memorial for local residents who served in the military. The Borden Valley Day Festival is held in the park annually on the second Saturday in June.
Perhaps Borden High School's most famous alum is Joe Huber, who is regionally known as the founder of the popular Joe Huber's Family Farm and Restaurant in Starlight, Indiana. Norman M. Coats of Kirkwood, MO; a 1944 Borden High School Graduate, World War II Veteran, Businessman and Author; wrote a compelling book called "Growing Up on Daisy Hill", which chronicles his early years being born and raised in the nearby hills and hollows of Borden during The Great Depression. Borden is also the current home of nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel
Frank Kimmel
Franklin James Kimmel is an American stock car driver/owner. He drives the #44 Ansell Gloves/Menards Ford in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Kimmel has won the ARCA championship nine times, including eight consecutive...
.
Geography
Borden is located at 38°28′14"N 85°56′49"W (38.470665, -85.947025).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 1.1 square miles (2.8 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 818 people, 331 households, and 231 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 736.4 people per square mile (284.5/km²). There were 355 housing units at an average density of 319.6 per square mile (123.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.61% Native American, 0.49% Asian, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.
There were 331 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,962, and the median income for a family was $44,868. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,800 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 $17,417. About 10.3% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.