HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Perry County, Indiana has gone through four different county seats throughout its history, and it is also the final resting place for a former Indiana governor.
The Perry County Indiana website says the county was organized in 1814 and was the last county in Indiana to be created before the Territory of Indiana applied to Congress for an enabling act. According to Indiana’s main government website, Perry County was named for War of 1812 hero Oliver Hazard Perry.
The county website says the first county seat was in Troy, followed by Rome, then Cannelton from 1859 through 1994 when the seat moved to the current location in Tell City. So, throughout its history, Perry County has had four different county seats.
According to Pick Perry officials, Perry County is the “hilliest county” in Indiana and is known for its natural beauty and resources. Pick Perry officials say the county houses 60,000 acres of the Hoosier National Forest, has a working railway and a display of the Ohio River.
According to the Pick Perry website, Rome was the home of former, and late, Indiana governor Edgar Whitcomb, during the final years of his life. Officials say Charles Polke, one of the signers of the Indiana Constitution, is buried in Tobinsport.
The Pick Perry website says the county’s top employers include ATTC Manufacturing, Inc., Mulzer Crushed Stone, Parker Meggitt, Perry Central School Corporation and Perry County Memorial Hospital. According to officials with Pick Perry, the county is a regional hub of industry, commerce and quality of life.
According to the United States Census Bureau, as of the 2020 census, the population of Perry County was 19,170.
This is the fifth of a weekly twenty-one-part series that will help educate about each of the counties in the Eyewitness News viewing area. Check in every Tuesday at 9 a.m. for the next one! Last week’s story can be found here.
