Vevay ( ) is a town located in Jefferson Township 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 ...

of Switzerland County,

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 ...

, United States, along the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.

History

The first settlers who arrived in 1802 were Swiss immigrants intending on cultivating grapes and producing wine. It was named after the Swiss town of Vevey. The town was platted in 1813. When Switzerland County was formed in 1814, Vevay was made the county seat. The Vevay post office has been in operation since 1816. The community was incorporated as a town in 1836. Vevay collected a reputation of being home to the first commercial winery in the United States; However, the first certified commercial winery was established in

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 U.S. Census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlement in the state. Since the late 20th ce ...

in 1799 by Swiss immigrant John Dufour. The Edward and George Cary Eggleston House, Old Hoosier Theatre,

Benjamin Schenck Mansion Benjamin Schenck Mansion, also known as Schenck Mansion Bed and Breakfast, is a historic home located at Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana. It was built in 1874, and is a two-story, Italianate / Second Empire style brick mansion on a full bas ...

, and

Switzerland County Courthouse Switzerland County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana. It was built between 1862 and 1864, and is a three-story, rectangular Greek Revival style red brick building with limestone and white painted wo ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Vevay is located at (38.745837, -85.071044), along the

and

Indiana State Road 56 State Road 56 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a route that travels the south central part of the state from west to east. Route description The western terminus of SR 56 is near Hazleton at U.S. Route 41. SR 56 heads northeast to Haz ...

/ 156. According to the 2010 census, Vevay has a total area of , of which (or 93.73%) is land and (or 6.27%) 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, nota ...

system, Vevay has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, 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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 1,683 people, 725 households, and 393 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 826 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 725 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the town was 40.8 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1735 people, 719 households, and 437 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 795 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.67%

, 0.23%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 719 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were

living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,448, and the median income for a family was $32,857. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $20,167 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 $15,477. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% 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 ...

, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary schools

* Jeff-Craig Elementary School

Middle schools

* Switzerland Middle School

High schools

* Switzerland County Senior High School

Others

The town has a lending library, the Switzerland County Public Library.

Arts and culture

The Swiss Wine Festival

Vevay holds an annual celebration called the Swiss Wine Festival. It is usually held on the last weekend in August, as well as the preceding Thursday and Friday. The festival has many fun activities such as ferry rides on the Ohio River, amusement rides, pageants, car shows, musical performances, cheerleading competitions, the famed grape stomps, and both Beer and Wine Gardens. Many people also set up booths for shopping. On Saturday night, most gather on the docks and close to the river to watch a fireworks show. People from all over the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio tristate come to enjoy the festive celebration. This festival was first celebrated in the 1970s and soon became the most adored tradition of the locals.

Origin

Since 1797, approximately every 22 years, ''la Fête des Vignerons'' (''The Winegrowers' Festival'') is celebrated in the Swiss city of Vevey.

Points of interest

*"Life on the Ohio" River History Museum reflects Vevay's and Switzerland County's heritage on the

. Open year-round (excluding major holidays) Sunday - Saturday from 10 - 5. *Switzerland County Historical Museum is located in an old Presbyterian church, built in 1860. Open year-round (excluding major holidays) Saturday - Sunday from 10 - 5. *The first Switzerland County Courthouse was built in 1822 and is listed on the

. It was replaced by the one that stands today in 1865, built by contractor John Haley. *The Benjamin Franklin Schenck Mansion is a 35-room mansion, built in 1874 by Benjamin Franklin Schenck *The U.P. Schenck House was built in 1846 for Ulysses P. Schenck, a Swiss riverboat captain who owned a fleet of flat bottom river boats. *The Armstrong Tavern is a two-story log house built in 1816 by Thomas Armstrong. *The

Hoosier Theatre The Hoosier Theatre is a 225-seat historic theatre located at 209 Ferry Street in Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana Switzerland County is a county in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, ...

was built in 1837 and is listed on the

Notable people

* Lydia Moss Bradley, philanthropist and founder of Bradley University *

Ebenezer Dumont Ebenezer Dumont (November 23, 1814 – April 16, 1871) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana, serving two terms from 1863 to 1867. Prior to his service in Congress, he was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early li ...

, Civil War general and U.S. Congressman *

Julia Louisa Dumont Julia Louisa Dumont (October 1794 – January 2, 1857) was an American educator and writer of prose. Born in the U.S. state of Ohio, she resided for 43 years at Vevay, Indiana. She is remembered as the first Hoosier to become known beyond the St ...

(1794-1857), educator and writer *

Edward Eggleston Edward Eggleston (December 10, 1837 – September 3, 1902) was an American historian and novelist. Biography Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. The author George Cary Eggleston was his brother. A ...

, Methodist minister and author * George Cary Eggleston, author, editor, Civil War Historian, and brother to Edward Eggleston. * Bertha Fry,

supercentenarian A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases u ...

, born in Vevay in 1893, died in 2007 at age 113 years, 11 months, 13 days (third oldest living person at the time of death) *

Ken Maynard Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western stars in Hollywood. Maynard was also an occasional screenwri ...

, actor and stuntman * Kermit Maynard, actor and stuntman, played for Indiana University Football 1920s, Ken Maynard's younger brother. * Will Henry Stevens, artist *

E. S. L. Thompson E. S. L. Thompson (, Elizabeth Shepherd Lamb; August 7, 1848 – April 25, 1944) was an American writer of prose and verse. In addition to poetry, short stories, plays, and an opera, her greatest success was in the area of children's literature, ...

(1848-1944), writer * Kat Von D, tattoo artist

In popular culture

The 1975 TV Movie ''

A Girl Named Sooner ''A Girl Named Sooner'' is a 1975 American made-for-television drama film directed by Delbert Mann and based upon Suzanne Clauser's novel of the same name. Clauser also wrote the screenplay. Plot The story is set in Vevay, Indiana in the 1930 ...

'' was set in and filmed in and around Vevay in the summer of 1974.

References

External links

Town website
{{Authority control Towns in Switzerland County, Indiana Towns in Indiana County seats in Indiana Populated places established in 1802 Indiana populated places on the Ohio River 1802 establishments in Indiana Territory