Yorktown, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Yorktown is a town in Mount Pleasant Township
, Delaware County
, Indiana
, United States
. The population was 9,405 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
, the town has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.67%) is water.
of 2000, there were 4,785 people, 1,842 households, and 1,368 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,357.0 people per square mile (523.4/km²). There were 1,940 housing units at an average density of 550.2 per square mile (212.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.64% White, 0.96% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.23% from other races
, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 1,842 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples
living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,974, and the median income for a family was $58,784. Males had a median income of $41,346 versus $26,611 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $26,065. About 3.9% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Native Americans built an earthen enclosure just to the east of Yorktown, still visible on Google Earth at 40.1805°N 85.4694°W. Yorktown lies at the junction of the White River
and Buck Creek. According to local legend, the Miami Indians believed that the peculiar configuration of the junction made Yorktown immune from tornado
es.
Yorktown was platted in 1837 by Oliver H. Smith
, who represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1837 to 1843 and was a member of the Committee on Public Lands. Smith eventually became involved in the railroad business, and Yorktown was joined to Indianapolis by railroad in the early 1850s. Yorktown's main street bears Smith's name.
Yorktown benefited from the 1880s natural gas boom in the area, and was the site of several glass factories in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (The gas gave names to nearby the towns of Gaston and Gas City and drew the Ball Brothers
to Muncie
.)
In 1892, a developer platted "West Muncie" on land immediately adjacent to Yorktown (but roughly ten miles from Muncie
.) Buck Creek was dammed to form "Lake Delaware," which became the focus of a 73-room resort hotel opened in 1893. However, the dam broke within a few years and the entire West Muncie project was abandoned. Its most enduring legacy was perhaps that Yorktown was erroneously labeled "West Muncie" on some road maps into the 1960s and perhaps later, puzzling most local residents, who had neither seen nor heard the name in any other context.
The town has been served by the Big Four Railroad and its successors: the New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, and CSX. The town was also served by an electric interurban
line, the Union Traction Company of Indiana and its successor Indiana Railroad
, in the early twentieth century.
In the mid twentieth century, many residents found employment in automotive plants in nearby Muncie
and Anderson
, most associated with General Motors
. General Motors in Yorktown closed down in 2003. Borg Warner in Yorktown closed in 2009. Yorktown also served as corporate headquarters of the Marsh Supermarkets
chain from 1952 until 1991, a fact reflected in the chain's "Yorktown" store brand. Marsh Supermarkets and Village Pantry headquarters are now located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mount Pleasant Township, Delaware County, Indiana
Mount Pleasant Township is one of twelve townships in Delaware County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,591. The school system is Mount Pleasant Township Community Schools in Yorktown, Indiana.-Geography:...
, Delaware County
Delaware County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 118,769 people, 47,131 households, and 29,692 families residing in the county. The population density was 302 people per square mile . There were 51,032 housing units at an average density of 130 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 9,405 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.67%) is water.
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 4,785 people, 1,842 households, and 1,368 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 1,357.0 people per square mile (523.4/km²). There were 1,940 housing units at an average density of 550.2 per square mile (212.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.64% White, 0.96% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.23% 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 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 1,842 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% 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, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,974, and the median income for a family was $58,784. Males had a median income of $41,346 versus $26,611 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 $26,065. About 3.9% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
During the Woodland periodWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
Native Americans built an earthen enclosure just to the east of Yorktown, still visible on Google Earth at 40.1805°N 85.4694°W. Yorktown lies at the junction of the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
and Buck Creek. According to local legend, the Miami Indians believed that the peculiar configuration of the junction made Yorktown immune from 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...
es.
Yorktown was platted in 1837 by Oliver H. Smith
Oliver H. Smith
Oliver Hampton Smith was a United States Representative and Senator from Indiana. Born on Smith's Island, near Trenton, New Jersey, attended the common schools and moved west, eventually settling in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 1818. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1820, commencing...
, who represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1837 to 1843 and was a member of the Committee on Public Lands. Smith eventually became involved in the railroad business, and Yorktown was joined to Indianapolis by railroad in the early 1850s. Yorktown's main street bears Smith's name.
Yorktown benefited from the 1880s natural gas boom in the area, and was the site of several glass factories in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (The gas gave names to nearby the towns of Gaston and Gas City and drew the Ball Brothers
Ball Brothers
The Ball brothers were the founders of the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Business which eventually became Ball Corporation. They greatly improved the quality of life of Muncie, Indiana through their philanthropy and business. They were instrumental in the creation of Ball State University, and...
to Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
.)
In 1892, a developer platted "West Muncie" on land immediately adjacent to Yorktown (but roughly ten miles from Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
.) Buck Creek was dammed to form "Lake Delaware," which became the focus of a 73-room resort hotel opened in 1893. However, the dam broke within a few years and the entire West Muncie project was abandoned. Its most enduring legacy was perhaps that Yorktown was erroneously labeled "West Muncie" on some road maps into the 1960s and perhaps later, puzzling most local residents, who had neither seen nor heard the name in any other context.
The town has been served by the Big Four Railroad and its successors: the New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, and CSX. The town was also served by an electric interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
line, the Union Traction Company of Indiana and its successor Indiana Railroad
Indiana Railroad
This article is for the electric interurban railroad of 1930-1941. For the currently operating freight railroad Indiana Rail Road see Indiana Rail Road....
, in the early twentieth century.
In the mid twentieth century, many residents found employment in automotive plants in nearby Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
and Anderson
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
, most associated with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. General Motors in Yorktown closed down in 2003. Borg Warner in Yorktown closed in 2009. Yorktown also served as corporate headquarters of the Marsh Supermarkets
Marsh Supermarkets
Marsh Supermarkets is a retail food chain headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with stores throughout Central Indiana and parts of Ohio. Its parent company is Sun Capital Partners, headquarterd in Boca Raton, Florida.-History:...
chain from 1952 until 1991, a fact reflected in the chain's "Yorktown" store brand. Marsh Supermarkets and Village Pantry headquarters are now located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Notable Yorktownians
- Ted HaggardTed HaggardTed Arthur Haggard is an American evangelical pastor. Known as Pastor Ted to the congregation he served, he was the founder and former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches; and was leader of the National Association of...
, prominent Evangelical Christian, grew up in Yorktown. - James Armstrong, former President of the National Council of ChurchesNational Council of ChurchesThe National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
, spent his infancy in Yorktown. - Jacob Bartlett, writer/artist on the webcomic Terminal Crossing, grew up in Yorktown.
- Jonathon NewbyJonathon NewbyJonathon Newby was the lead singer of Brazil until August 2007. Jonathon and his brother Nic are also 2 of the founding members of Brazil. On earlier Brazil recordings Jonathon played drums but eventually became the lead singer...
, founding member of music group BrazilBrazil (band)Brazil was an Indiana rock band. Although the band eschews labels and are often categorized with the punk and post-hardcore music scenes, that is mostly due to association. The music itself is more akin to progressive rock with indie rock roots. The line-up as of 2006 release is Jonathon Newby,...
grew up in Yorktown. - Carl Storie, Lead singer of the band Faith BandFaith BandFaith Band is an American rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana.From 1973 to 1979, they released 5 albums: Faith in 1973, Excuse Me, I Just Cut an Album in 1977, Rock'n Romance in 1978, and Face to Face and Vital Signs in 1979.[ 1]...
Elementary schools
- Pleasant View Elementary (Grade K-2)
- Yorktown Elementary School (Grades 3-5)