Blackford

Formed February 15, 1838 (87^th county)

Blackford County (12,115), Hartford City (6,087)                

A large clock tower and semi-circle corner mark the 1893 stone Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse.  It is on a city square at Washington, Jefferson, Main and High streets.  Indiana State Highway 26 is Washington street.  Arthur LaBelle and Burt L. French are the architects.  The facility features a clock tower.  An earlier courthouse was built in 1841.  The county was formed on February 15, 1838 from Jay County as the 87^th county with Hartford City as the only county seat.  It is named for the first Speaker of the Indiana Assembly, Isaac Blackford.  The county seat is named for Hartford, Connecticut.  Blackford County was the birthplace of 1 Indiana Governor, M. Clifford Townsend. 

Blackford County government consists of a sheriff, an auditor, a clerk, a coroner, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 7 Council Members (legislative.)  A Circuit Court Judge, a Superior Court Judge, and a prosecutor serve Blackford County (judicial.) The county is in northeast Indiana.  Indianapolis, Indiana is southwest and Fort Wayne, Indiana is north of the county.  The county center is 5.4 miles Northeast of Hartford City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wells, Jay, Delaware, and Grant counties. 

The area of the county is 165 square miles.  It is 89 out of 92 in the state.  It ranks 85 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 73.4 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 92 in the state.  Blackford County has 65.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is overall rectangular.  Hartford City is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Hartford City is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 50.2% of the county population.

Dunkirk