Martinsville, Indiana

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City of Martinsville
City
An aerial photograph of Martinsville, taken looking northwest
An aerial photograph of Martinsville, taken looking northwest
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyMorgan
Government
 • MayorPhil R. Deckard (R)
Area
 • Total4.5 sq mi (11.6 km2)
 • Land4.5 sq mi (11.6 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0.22%
Elevation
604 ft (184 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total11,828
 • Density2,620.6/sq mi (1,012.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
46151
Area code765
FIPS code18-47448Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0438684Template:GR
Websitewww.martinsville.in.gov

Martinsville is a city in and the county seat of Morgan County, Indiana, United States;Template:GR the population was 11,828 at the 2010 census.

History

The Morgan County courthouse, completed in 1859, still shines in its red brick and Italianate design. This is one of very few pre Civil-War courthouses existing in Indiana. Built by Perry Magnus Blankenship. Architect Isaac Hodgson designed the courthouse. Mr. Hodgson designed six Indiana courthouses including Jennings County (1859), Morgan County (1857), Henry County, Bartholomew County (1871), and his largest in Marion County, in Indianapolis.

In 1899 Eugene Shireman, a Martinsville entrepreneur, turned his swamp land into fisheries and started Grassyfork Fisheries.[1] Once dubbed the “Goldfish Capital of the World,” today Martinsville has several large fisheries that sell fish to many parts of the world. Shireman's actions transformed the landscape of the Martinsville area forever, and his fisheries can be seen today throughout Shireman subdivision. Martinsville is also home to other fisheries.

From 1888 until 1968 visitors sought out the many artesian mineral water heath spas (called sanitariums then) of Martinsville for health benefits. Over the course of nearly 100 years, almost a dozen sanitariums were in operation for various periods of time, including the first black spa in Martinsville.

Albert Merritt (1871–1958), beloved founder of the Boy's Club in Martinsville, born near Bowling Green, was the son of former slaves. He came to Martinsville Mineral Springs Sanitarium in the 1890s from a job as a porter at the Sennings Hotel in Louisville, and lived at the sanitarium for the rest of his life, never marrying. He worked with the children of Martinsville for fifty years, building a clubhouse on North Marion Street. Merritt Park on the northwest end of town is named for Albert.

Visitors would travel by rail and road to bathe and refresh in the mineral springs and waters. Many luminaries visited Martinsville in the early 20th century to enjoy the mineral waters and spas for their perceived therapeutic and health restoring qualities. (Photographs of the sanitariums.) On top of what used to be the National Sanitarium a refurbished neon sign still displays "Martinsville City of Mineral Water " as it did so many years ago.

In 1892 the Old Hickory Furniture Company [2] was formed. The Morgan County Public Library’s Digital Archive has a collection of photographs of Old Hickory furniture including some displays for Marshall Field & Co.

Carol Jenkins Murder

On the night of Sept. 16, 1968, Carol Jenkins,[3] a 21-year-old black woman, was murdered in Martinsville. Many assumed the murderer was a local person. Many reporters complained of locals refusing to talk about the case and there was speculation of a cover up.[4]

This murder contributed heavily to the image of Martinsville as a racist and corrupt town during the thirty-four years it remained unsolved. However, the murder of Carol Jenkins was not the sole basis of Martinsville's reputation. Other, albeit less violent and notorious, acts of racism and discrimination within in Martinsville have been alleged, such as a visiting high school basketball team being called racial epithets by a hometown Martinsville crowd while the Martinsville high school team "played dirty".[5]

In 2002 [6] it was discovered that a Hendricks County man and his acquaintance were passing through Martinsville in 1968, saw Ms. Jenkins, and murdered her.

Geography

Martinsville is located at 39°25′24″N 86°25′26″W / 39.42333°N 86.42389°W / 39.42333; -86.42389Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (39.423339, -86.423779)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,698 people, 4,621 households, and 3,086 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,620.6 people per square mile (1,012.7/km²). There were 4,880 housing units at an average density of 1,093.2 per square mile (422.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.62% White, 0.01% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 4,621 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,746, and the median income for a family was $40,304. Males had a median income of $31,215 versus $22,090 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,664. About 8.7% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville administers the public schools of Martinsville. Elementary schools include Brooklyn Elementary, Centerton Elementary, Green Township Elementary, Paragon Elementary, Poston Road Elementary, Smith Elementary, and South Elementary. There are two middle schools that serve grades 7-8, Martinsville East and Martinsville West. Both feed into Martinsville High School. [7]

Notable natives and residents

References

  1. ^ Grassyfork Fisheries
  2. ^ Old Hickory
  3. ^ The Carol Jenkins slaying
  4. ^ Who Killed Carol Jenkins?
  5. ^ Who Killed Carol Jenkins?
  6. ^ After Arrest, Town Shamed by '68 Killing Seeks Renewal
  7. ^ http://msdadmin.scican.net

External links

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