Shoals is a town in

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and Halbert townships and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Martin County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The population was 756 at the 2010 census. The Shoals community is best known for the Jug Rock, the only free-standing table rock formation east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. The Shoals Catfish Festival is held annually on the July 4th holiday weekend.

History

Shoals was originally called Memphis, and under the latter name was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1844. The post office at Shoals has been in operation since 1869. A lynching took place at the county courthouse and jail. The Archer boys were accused of torturing and killing a local farmer and were hung from trees in front of the jail in 1886. Shoals is also known for making

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is f ...

buttons during the early 20th century. They were made out of

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...

from the White River.

Geography

Shoals is located at (38.666409, -86.792391). According to the 2010 census, Shoals has a total area of , of which (or 95.06%) is land and (or 4.94%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Shoals has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 756 people, 376 households, and 189 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 418 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 376 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.7% were non-families. 46.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the town was 47.1 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 24.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 807 people, 377 households, and 214 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 420 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.52%

, 0.87%

, 0.25% Native American, 0.12% from

, and 1.24% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population. There were 377 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.65. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $31,964. Males had a median income of $30,865 versus $21,696 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $14,234. About 14.6% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Shoals' major employers are the

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...

mines that were discovered in the mid-20th century. Two major mines employ more than 400 workers. The

National Gypsum National Gypsum Company is a company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that produces drywall gypsum boards in the US. It has 17 gypsum board plants in the US and presents itself as a fully integrated building products manufacturer. It is a private ...

mine is located two miles outside Shoals and is the United States' deepest at 515 feet.

Education

The town has a lending library, the Shoals Public Library. Public education is administered by Shoals Public Schools.

Notable people

* Frank Gilkison, Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court

References

{{Authority control Towns in Martin County, Indiana County seats in Indiana