Elwood, Indiana | |
|---|---|
| City of Elwood | |
 Elwood Downtown Historic District at night | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in Madison County and Tipton County, Indiana | |
| Coordinates:40°16′26″N85°50′14″W / 40.27389°N 85.83722°W /40.27389; -85.83722 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Indiana |
| Counties | Madison,Tipton |
| Townships | Pipe Creek,Duck Creek,Madison |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Incorporated | 1891 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Todd Jones (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.97 sq mi (10.28 km2) |
| • Land | 3.97 sq mi (10.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 863 ft (263 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,410 |
• Estimate (2025) | 8,469[3] |
| • Density | 2,119.5/sq mi (818.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 46036 |
| Area code | 765 |
| FIPS code | 18-21070[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394680[2]- |
| Website | www |
Elwood is a city inMadison andTipton counties in theU.S. state ofIndiana.[2] The Madison County portion, which is nearly all of the city, is part of theIndianapolis–Carmel–Anderson metropolitan statistical area. The population of Elwood was 8,410 at the2020 census.[4]
Elwood was laid out in 1853 under the name "Duck Creek".[6] It was incorporated as a city in 1891.[7]
A post office was established under the name "Duck Creek" in 1855, was renamed to Elwood in 1869, and has been operating since.[8] The first railroad was constructed in Elwood in 1857.[9]
On August 17, 1940, theRepublican National Committee held a formal notification ceremony to recognize Elwood-bornWendell Willkie as its nominee for President of the United States to run againstFranklin Roosevelt. Held at Callaway Park on the outskirts of town, the ceremony drew 150,000 people for what would become the largest political rally in American history at the time. People came in 60,000 automobiles, 63 special trains, 300 Pullmans, and 1,200 buses. TheIndiana University band led a parade in which 249 other bands also marched in the procession. When Willkie stepped onto the platform, the crowd cheered him for ten minutes before he could begin his speech. However, oppressive heat and Willkie's underwhelming, flat speech left many disappointed by the end of the day.[10]
By the 1880s, Elwood had become asundown town, prohibitingBlack people from residing within the town. In 1897, when a number of Black families attempted to settle in the town and were driven out,The Evening Times in Washington, D.C., reported that for more than two decades Black people had not been "permitted to remain any length of time."[11] This prohibition remained in place for most of the 20th century.[12][13]
At the rally for Wendell Willkie, noted above, which drew around 150,000 people to the city, some prominent Black reporters, such as Marse Callaway ofBaltimore, were allowed to briefly stay in a hotel downtown, but others were unable to stay the night due to the community's sundown status.[14] Other Black people were discouraged from attempting to attend the rally at all due to the sundown signs posted at the city limits.[15] These signs and policies remained in place for decades afterwards.[12][13]
By the late twentieth century sundown policies were less strictly enforced, although as recently as 2002 law enforcement in nearbyMarion considered Elwood to still be unwelcoming of Black people.[15] In 2015, afterGoshen, Indiana, passed a resolution acknowledging its history as a sundown town, Elwood's own past became a topic of discussion. The mayor of Elwood stated that while he had had no knowledge of the racially exclusionary policies of Elwood's past, he would address them if they were part of Elwood's "lingering reputation".[12]
Elwood is located in northwestern Madison County. The equivalent of two half-blocks of land in Tipton County are also within the city limits.[16]
Indiana State Road 28 passes through the city as Main Street, leading east 9 miles (14 km) toAlexandria and west 10 miles (16 km) toTipton.State Road 13 (Anderson Street) crosses SR 28 in the center of Elwood; it leads north 10 miles (16 km) toPoint Isabel and south 15 miles (24 km) toLapel.State Road 37 crosses the southeast corner of the city limits, leading northeast 23 miles (37 km) toMarion and southwest 20 miles (32 km) toNoblesville.Anderson, the Madisoncounty seat, is 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Elwood by local roads.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Elwood has a total area of 3.97 square miles (10.28 km2), all land.[1] Big Duck Creek flows through the center of town, leading southwest to theWhite River nearStrawtown.
| Climate data for Elwood, IN (1981-2013 normals-Extremes 1948–2013) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 74 (23) | 84 (29) | 88 (31) | 94 (34) | 99 (37) | 103 (39) | 99 (37) | 101 (38) | 92 (33) | 83 (28) | 72 (22) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56 (13) | 61 (16) | 74 (23) | 81 (27) | 87 (31) | 92 (33) | 94 (34) | 93 (34) | 90 (32) | 82 (28) | 71 (22) | 58 (14) | 94 (34) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.7 (0.9) | 38.2 (3.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 62.2 (16.8) | 72.7 (22.6) | 81.4 (27.4) | 84.5 (29.2) | 83.0 (28.3) | 77.1 (25.1) | 64.6 (18.1) | 51.7 (10.9) | 37.7 (3.2) | 61.4 (16.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.0 (−3.9) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 39.2 (4.0) | 50.3 (10.2) | 61.1 (16.2) | 70.2 (21.2) | 73.4 (23.0) | 71.4 (21.9) | 64.6 (18.1) | 52.5 (11.4) | 41.5 (5.3) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 50.7 (10.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.5 (−8.6) | 20.4 (−6.4) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 38.4 (3.6) | 49.7 (9.8) | 59.0 (15.0) | 62.3 (16.8) | 59.7 (15.4) | 52.0 (11.1) | 40.5 (4.7) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 40.1 (4.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4 (−20) | −1 (−18) | 12 (−11) | 24 (−4) | 35 (2) | 46 (8) | 51 (11) | 48 (9) | 37 (3) | 27 (−3) | 18 (−8) | 2 (−17) | −4 (−20) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) | −23 (−31) | −10 (−23) | 12 (−11) | 26 (−3) | 36 (2) | 43 (6) | 37 (3) | 28 (−2) | 17 (−8) | −5 (−21) | −20 (−29) | −24 (−31) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.49 (63) | 2.17 (55) | 3.00 (76) | 3.78 (96) | 4.24 (108) | 4.45 (113) | 4.33 (110) | 3.50 (89) | 3.50 (89) | 2.98 (76) | 3.96 (101) | 3.23 (82) | 41.63 (1,058) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.0 (13) | 4.8 (12) | 1.1 (2.8) | trace | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | trace | 0.1 (0.25) | 4.8 (12) | 15.8 (40.05) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 2 (5.1) | 4 (10) | 1 (2.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.1) | 4 (10) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 Inches) | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 119 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 Inches) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Source: NOAA[17] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 310 | — | |
| 1880 | 751 | 142.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,284 | 204.1% | |
| 1900 | 12,950 | 467.0% | |
| 1910 | 11,028 | −14.8% | |
| 1920 | 10,790 | −2.2% | |
| 1930 | 10,685 | −1.0% | |
| 1940 | 10,913 | 2.1% | |
| 1950 | 11,362 | 4.1% | |
| 1960 | 11,793 | 3.8% | |
| 1970 | 11,196 | −5.1% | |
| 1980 | 10,867 | −2.9% | |
| 1990 | 9,494 | −12.6% | |
| 2000 | 9,737 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 8,614 | −11.5% | |
| 2020 | 8,410 | −2.4% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 8,469 | [3] | 0.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
As of thecensus[5] of 2010, there were 8,614 people, 3,455 households, and 2,265 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,284.9 inhabitants per square mile (882.2/km2). There were 4,099 housing units at an average density of 1,087.3 per square mile (419.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%White, 0.2%African American, 0.2%Native American, 0.3%Asian, 1.0% fromother races, and 1.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.3% of the population.
There were 3,455 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% weremarried couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.
The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 9,737 people, 3,845 households, and 2,660 families living in the city. The population density was 2,743.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,059.1/km2). There were 4,179 housing units at an average density of 1,177.3 per square mile (454.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.33%White, 0.05%African American, 0.12%Native American, 0.25%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.68% fromother races, and 0.52% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.64% of the population.
There were 3,845 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% weremarried couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,986, and the median income for a family was $36,239. Males had a median income of $31,527 versus $19,947 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,402. About 11.7% of families and 15.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
The annualGlass Festival, held every third weekend of August, is one way in which the city tries to promote the area's history with natural gas and glass. In the years surrounding the turn of the century, Elwood, along with the nearby towns of Anderson andGas City, were a common destination forWelsh immigrant families.[citation needed]
Elwood has apublic library, a branch of the North Madison County Public Library System.[19]
TheElwood Downtown Historic District was listed in theNational Register of Historic Places in 2002.[20]
It is in theElwood Community School Corporation.[21]
There is a race war brewing in Ellwood [sic]. The citizens always have been averse to allowing negroes to live there. For the past twenty years occasionally a colored man or woman would come, but he would not be permitted to remain any length of time. Recently a number of negro families have located here. Within the last few days the entire negro population would have been notified to leave the city. Four of them, have been driven out this week, and the remainder have been given until Saturday night to move. Trouble is anticipated should any families refuse to comply with the demands.
Municipalities and communities ofMadison County, Indiana,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofTipton County, Indiana,United States | ||
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| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Municipalities with population over 20,000 (in2020) | ||
| Municipalities with population of 20,000–1,000 (in2020) |
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| Municipalities with population under 1,000 (in2020) |
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Counties | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in counties outside of the MSA | |
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