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Indiana Bicentennial Celebration 2016

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Explore County Bicentennial Activities > Pike County Pike County

Pike County

Q&A with County Coordinator Leslie Tegmeyer

What do you consider the key accomplishment(s) of your county's Bicentennial celebration?

  • The Torch Relay was a town favorite!  We had around 600 people at our park including 4th and 8th graders.  It was a beautiful day!  

What Legacy Project do you most like to tell people about, and why?

  • People have loved the Pike County Notables book that was written by Art Miley!  We have sold out numerous times.  Pike County has very interesting people.  

Describe a highlight or most memorable moment related to your county's Bicentennial celebration.

  • Seeing young and old come together and celebrate our great state!  So many smiles and great teamwork.

How/where are you preserving information and artifacts related to your county's celebration?

  • We are currently sharing our items with the schools, courthouse, nursing homes and local offices.

Total number of volunteers who participted.

  • 30

Estimated total attendance.

  • 1,200

Estimated dollar amount spent.

  • $2,000

Pike County Legacy Projects

Photos from Pike County Bicentennial Activities / Events

Pike County

Pike County Facts

Formed on December 21, 1816, Pike County was the first county formed after Indiana became a state. It was formed from Gibson and Perry counties.

The county is named for Zebulon Pike, famous for his Pike Expedition of 1806 – 1807, exploring the southwest portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike also commanded the 4th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

About the courthouse: Elmer Dunlap was the architect and the building was completed in 1922.

A baseball great, Gil Hodges, grew up on Main Street in Petersburg. Gil gained fame as the quiet but powerful first baseman for the Brooklyn and later the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Highway 57 bridge over the White River north of Petersburg bears Hodges’ name. Tourists to the area can also see the bronze bust of Hodges that stands in the courthouse rotunda.

Petersburg stands on the historic Buffalo Trace and Lincoln Heritage Trails. Both historical routes are recognized in Indiana.

At least one home in Petersburg, the Goodlet-Morgan Home, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Many a slave passed through our community on their way to freedom.

The Petersburg community landscape began to take a permanent change in the 1960s. Rich coal deposits allowed for the construction of two power generation stations just north of the city at the forks of the White River. The Indianapolis Power and Light Company opened a power plant that has grown since then to employ around 300 workers and produces around 1800 megawatts of electricity.

The Petersburg Generating Station provides 75 percent of the power to the city of Indianapolis. Indiana’s Rural Electric Cooperative constructed the second plant with the addition of the Hoosier Energy, Frank E. Ratts Generating Station. This station produces 200 megawatts of electricity that is used by electric cooperatives throughout Indiana.

County Seat: Petersburg
Year Organized: 1816
Square Miles: 334.24

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