Nashville is a town in Washington Township, Brown County, Indiana, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census. The town is the county seat of Brown County. The town is best known as the center of the Brown County Art Colony with a variety of specialty shops.
History
Settlement of land in and around Nashville began with the acquisition of land from native populations under the 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne. This was expanded with more acquisitions under the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary's. By 1840, area population had grown to more than 2,300. The first Nashville courthouse was constructed in 1837 and a jail was added in the same year. The town was officially incorporated in 1872. The town grew to the point that a makeshift mental institution was established in what is currently the school administration building. According to the records of the institution over 100 lobotomies were performed successfully while the institution was open. However, local legend has it that the building is still haunted by those who were mistreated there. If you are a resident of the school district you can request to see the basement where the cells still exist. By the turn of the century, heavy logging in the area had caused significant deforestation which resulted in dramatic erosion problems. The population shrunk over the span of several decades and did not recover to 1890 levels until 90 years later in 1980.
With the opening of a rail station six miles away in Helmsburg, Indiana the area became more accessible to travelers and tourists. A number of writers told the world about the beauties of the community and the nature of the quaint village of Nashville, and the foundations of the artist colony were made. Artists from around the country began to make Nashville their home. Among the earlier artist settlers were T. C. Steele and Adolph Schulz. Both Steele and Schulz who had a significant influence on later impressionist artisans, now have areas dedicated to their lives and work. Steele with the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, located off of State Road 46 near Belmont. And Schulz with the Adolph Schulz Memorial Garden, located in Trevlac, on State Road 45.
Today, Nashville boasts a thriving tourist industry based upon the original works of resident artists and upon the area's natural beauty. Nearby Brown County State Park is visited by more than a million people per year, many of whom come to see resplendent fall colors in the trees of the forests in the park and its environs. Brown County State Park is also home to some of the best mountain biking in the Midwest.
Shopping and entertainment
Nashville is known for its unique shopping experience, with hundreds of specialty, antique, crafts and other art shops often with the artists working in shop demonstrating their trade. As a result, Nashville is often viewed as an artists' colony and many artists call this community home. Artworks on exhibit and sale include watercolor, sculpture, stained glass, blown glass, hand carved furniture, custom jewelry and one of a kind perfumes.
Nashville is also host to a number of entertainment venues. Among them are the Little Nashville Opry (which burned down in September 2009), Coachlight Theatre (formerly Nashville Follies Musical Theatre) and the Brown County Playhouse. The latter is operated by Indiana University—Bloomington, and some fine actors and actresses have performed on this stage including Peter Sellars, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Kevin Kline.
The Pine Box Musical Theatre operated out of a former mortuary that gave the theatre its name. It was later moved to a ski resort west of the town.
The town once hosted a large serpentarium.
Art Galleries
Nashville, Indiana is home to many wonderful artists. It isn't unusual to see artists at work on any given day of the week. The various Brown County shops and art galleries give visitors the opportunity to meet the artists in person, and share creative thoughts and ideas.
"The Art Colony of the Midwest"tm Brown County, Indiana
Lodging and Accommodations
Nashville, Indiana is host to many places to stay during your visit including Bed & Breakfasts, Inns, Motels and Hotels, and Cabins and Cottages,
Geography
Nashville is located at 39°12′11″N 86°14′18″W / 39.20306°N 86.23833°W / 39.20306; -86.23833 (39.203025, -86.238236).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.5 km²) is land and 1.04% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 825 people, 375 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was 868.6 people per square mile (335.3/km²). There were 412 housing units at an average density of 433.8/sq mi (167.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.09% White, 0.85% African American, 0.85% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.
There were 375 households out of which 16.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.5% were non-families. 45.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.58.
In the town the population was spread out with 13.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 77.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,330, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,723. About 14.3% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Trivia
- There are two covered bridges in the Nashville area. The Ramp Creek Bridge which is located south of town at the North Entrance of the state park, and the Bean Blossom Bridge which is 10 minutes north on Covered Bridge Road.
- There are 26 restaurants in and around the town, only three of which are restaurant chains—Pizza King, McDonalds and Subway.
- Only three traffic lights in the whole town.
- Also contains one of the three hologram shops in North America; Taylor's Forth Dimension .
Nearby points of interest
- Brown County Tourism Information
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Brown County State Park
- Columbus, Indiana
- CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County
- Hoosier National Forest
- Story, Indiana
- Lake Lemon
- Lake Monroe
- Yellowwood State Forest
- T.C. Steele State Historic Site
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau . http://factfinder.census.gov . Retrieved 2008-01-31 .
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25 . http://geonames.usgs.gov . Retrieved 2008-01-31 .
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties . http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm . Retrieved 2008-01-31 . ...
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