Daviess

Formed February 2, 1818 (29^th county)

Daviess County (33,391), Washington (12,047)                

The Neo-Classical governmental masonry courthouse was built in 1928 on Walnut Street at 3rd Street.  United States Highway 50 is seven blocks south of the site.  Sutton and Routt were the building architects.  The building was remodeled in 1986 after a fire.  There was an 1879 courthouse also in Washington, the only county seat.  The county was created on February 2, 1818 from Knox County as the 29^th county.  It is named for Battle of Tippecanoe hero Major Joseph Daviess.  The county seat is named for President George Washington.  He is also the namesake for Washington County. 

Daviess 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 Daviess County (judicial.) The county is in southwest Indiana.  Evansville, Indiana is south and Indianapolis, Indiana is northeast of the county.  The county center is 4.7 miles Northeast of Washington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Greene, Martin, Dubois, Pike, and Knox counties. 

The area of the county is 429 square miles.  It is 26 out of 92 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 92 in population in the state.  It has a density of 77.8 persons per square mile making it 49 out of 92 in the state.  Daviess County has 46.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highways 50/150 cross the county east to west from Martin County to Knox County.  The White River forms the western border and the East Fork of the White River is the southern border.  The overall appearance of the county looks like a fat small letter r.  Washington is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Washington is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 36.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced DAE-VIS.  This county is in the Washington Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Washington