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Bloomfield, Indiana
Buildings in downtown Bloomfield
Buildings in downtown Bloomfield
Location of Bloomfield in Greene County, Indiana.
Location of Bloomfield in Greene County, Indiana.
Country United States
State Indiana
County Greene
Township Richland
Area
 • Total 1.41 sq mi (3.65 km2)
 • Land 1.41 sq mi (3.65 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
607 ft (185 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 2,289
 • Density 1,625.71/sq mi (627.68/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EST)
ZIP code
47424
Area code 812
FIPS code 18-05716
GNIS ID 431200

Bloomfield is a town within Richland Township and the county seat of Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,405 at the 2010 census.

Bloomfield is part of the Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area where Bloomfield is located has been inhabited by Native Americans since prehistory. Tribes that have lived in the area include the Miami tribe, Kickapoo, Piankeshaw and Wea. A settlement of Woodland period people has been excavated by Indiana University and Ball State University research teams near the confluence of Richland Creek and the White River south of Bloomfield.

The town of Bloomfield was laid out in 1824 when Greene County needed a new county seat due to the lack of a reliable water source for the town of Burlington. Burlington was located west of Bloomfield near the west fork of the White River.

The town's first structure was the Greene County Courthouse, a log structure, in the center of town. The current Greene County Courthouse, a brick structure built in the late 19th century, stands at the same location. An expansion and renovation project was completed in 2008. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

In 1824, Peter Cornelius Van Slyke donated land to Greene County for the purpose of establishing a new county seat.

Van Slyke was born on the Mohawk River in Schenectady County, New York, on April 5, 1766. He migrated to southern Indiana in 1816. Van Slyke was a veteran of the War of 1812 and died on September 25, 1834.

Geography

Bloomfield is located at 39°1′29″N 86°56′25″W / 39.02472°N 86.94028°W / 39.02472; -86.94028 (39.024634, -86.940307).

According to the 2010 census, Bloomfield has a total area of 1.38 square miles (3.57 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 234
1870 656
1880 988 50.6%
1890 1,229 24.4%
1900 1,588 29.2%
1910 2,069 30.3%
1920 1,872 −9.5%
1930 2,298 22.8%
1940 2,270 −1.2%
1950 2,086 −8.1%
1960 2,224 6.6%
1970 2,565 15.3%
1980 2,705 5.5%
1990 2,592 −4.2%
2000 2,542 −1.9%
2010 2,405 −5.4%
2020 2,289 −4.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,405 people, 1,109 households, and 628 families living in the town. The population density was 1,742.8 inhabitants per square mile (672.9/km2). There were 1,263 housing units at an average density of 915.2 per square mile (353.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 1,109 households, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the town was 39.7 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

Local landmarks and attractions

Richland-Plummer Creek Covered Bridge, southern side and eastern end
The Richland-Plummer Creek Bridge
Osborn Site near Bloomfield
Part of the Osborn Site, an archaeological site west of Bloomfield
Bloomfield Indiana Police with Indiana State Police circa 1948
Bloomfield law enforcement officers (Deputy Sheriff Lem Clark, center) with the Indiana State Police circa 1940

Mike Canty is a Todd.

  • One of the best preserved covered bridges in the state is Bloomfield's Richland-Plummer Creek Covered Bridge, built by A.M. Kennedy and Sons in 1883. It is located approximately 134 miles south of town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
  • The World's Largest Hi-Lift Jack is located in front of the Hi-Lift Jack Company/Bloomfield Manufacturing Company on Spring Street in Bloomfield. The replica jack, produced to commemorate the company's 100th anniversary, is made of cast iron, stands 20 feet tall, and weights 2,980 pounds.
  • Near Bloomfield is the Tulip Viaduct.
  • Bloomfield is the home of the Shawnee Summer Theater Indiana's oldest continuously running professional summer theater. Shawnee has operated, uninterrupted, since 1960.
  • The man who owned the land where Bloomfield was built (Peter Cornelius Van Slyke) is buried in Bloomfield in the Van Slyke cemetery on the west end of town (behind the old woolen mill).
  • Shawnee Field is approximately 5 miles west of town.
  • Just east of Bloomfield is the source for Walnut Grove premium Spring Water.

Festivals

  • Annual Bloomfield Apple Festival and Parade held typically on the first full weekend of October.
  • Fireworks held on the 4th of July.
  • Annual Town-Wide Yard Sales (the largest in the county) are the Saturday before Father's Day in June.


Education

  • Bloomfield has a public library, a branch of the Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Bloomfield Public Library.
  • The Bloomfield Public Library Annex is located on the corner of Spring Street and Washington Street.
  • Bloomfield School District consists of grades K-12. All grades are contained in the same location/building.

See also

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