Indiana is home to some confusing geography. A lot of non-Hoosiers have been shocked to find out that South Bend is way up north! As a kid, trips to my dad’s house always made me question why the town of South Milford was northeast of its counterpart. Our county seats are similarly confounding. Some cities, like Huntington, are indeed in Huntington County. Others, like Boonville, are nowhere near where you might think.
I’ve finally republished all my Indiana courthouse posts from my old website. Reworking all of them put me back in the mindset of viewing our state’s historic courthouses as part of a greater portfolio, which compelled me to take a dive into the chaos of our county seats. To share the results of my statewide survey, I prepared a little quiz to test your knowledge of Hoosier geography. I’ll give you two easy true/false questions to start:
1. Huntington is the seat of Huntington County.
True
You’re right! Huntington’s first Huntington County Courthouse was built in 1840.
False
Sorry! Try again.
2. Boonville is the seat of Boone County.
True
You’re wrong! Try again.
False
You’re right! Boonville is the seat of Warrick County.
I already gave you the answers to those questions in the first couple paragraphs. Did you remember? If you’re ready for more, here are twenty-two more questions to really test your knowledge. Keep track of your score and you’ll receive a grade at the very end.
3. Brownstown is the seat of Brown County.
True
Sorry! Try again.
False
You’re right! Nashville is the seat of Brown County.
4. Crawfordsville is the seat of Crawford County.
True
Sorry! You’re wrong.
False
Ding Ding Ding! You got it. English is the seat of Crawford County.
5. Decatur is the seat of Decatur County.
True
Dang! Wrong again.
False
You nailed it! Greensburg is the seat of Decatur County.
6. Franklin is the seat of Franklin County.
True
Sorry, that’s wrong.
False
That’s right! Brookville is the seat of Franklin County.
7. Greencastle is the seat of Greene County.
True
Sorry, you’re incorrect.
False
Good answer!
8. Greenfield is the seat of Greene County.
True
Sorry, that’s not right.
False
That’s right! Bloomfield is the seat of Greene County.
9. Jasper is the seat of Jasper County.
True
Sorry! Try again.
False
Good job! Rensselaer is the seat of Jasper County.
10. Knox is the seat of Knox County.
True
Sorry! Nope.
False
That’s right! Vincennes is the seat of Knox County.
11. LaGrange is the seat of Lagrange County.
True
Good answer. You’re right!
False
That’s incorrect. Try again!
12. LaPorte is the seat of LaPorte County.
True
Yes. You’re right!
False
Sorry! That’s wrong.
We’re halfway through. How are you feeling so far? Personally, I’m feeling like I should have split this into two posts. Copying all this HTML sucks! Let’s get back to it.
13. Lawrenceburg is the seat of Lawrence County.
True
Nope. Try again.
False
You’re right! Bedford is the seat of Lawrence County.
14. Madison is the seat of Madison County.
True
Sorry! You’re wrong.
False
Correct. Anderson is the seat of Madison County.
15. Marion is the seat of Marion County.
True
Sorry, that’s incorrect.
False
You’re right! Indianapolis and Marion County are one in the same.
16. Martinsville is the seat of Martin County.
True
Sorry; try again.
False
Ding Ding! You got it. Shoals is the seat of Martin County.
17. Noblesville is the seat of Noble County.
True
That’s incorrect.
False
You got it. Albion is the seat of Noble County.
18. Rushville is the seat of Rush County.
True
Yep! Way to go!
False
Sorry; that’s not right.
19. Scottsburg is the seat of Scott County.
True
You nailed it!
False
Try one more time.
20. Shelbyville is the seat of Shelby County.
True
Good job!
False
Nope, not this time.
21. Spencer is the seat of Spencer County.
True
Sorry; wrong answer.
False
Correct! Rockport is the seat of Spencer County.
22. Sullivan is the seat of Sullivan County.
True
I knew you had it in you!
False
Sorry. Pick again.
23. Tipton is the seat of Tipton County.
True
You got it!
False
Sorry; you’re wrong.
24. Wabash is the seat of Wabash County.
True
Great work!
False
Sorry! Not this time.
We made it to the end. How’d you do? I forgot that Brookville was the seat of Franklin County as I was preparing everything. Can you believe it? Here’s your score, if you kept track:
22-24 correct: Outstanding work! You’ve mastered Indiana geography.
20-21 correct: Well done! Give yourself a laurel and hearty handshake.
17-19 correct: A couple counties got the best of you, but you did great!
15-16 correct: Good job! You’re just above average.
12-14 correct: You got half of them right! That’s better than many people could muster.
9-11 correct: You’re probably the real average.
5-8 correct: You need to brush up on your Indiana geography, like yesterday.
0-4 correct: Remedial work is needed! Start reading my blog more often.
Indiana’s an intriguing state with hundreds of years of history. It’s a lot to absorb and remember! Unfortunately, the names of our counties and seats don’t take it very easy on us. Thanks for playing!
I’m a winner! The quip I have heard is : Indiana is a place where South Bend is in the north, North Vernon is in the south, and French Lick isn’t what it sounds like. 🙂
Haha, that’s great!