Putnam County, Indiana
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 34 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1975. Most listings are in or near Greencastle, Bainbridge, Roachdale.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Indiana is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Putnam titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP20 of 34 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
34 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bainbridge Historic District | Bainbridge | 2019 |
| Baker's Camp Covered Bridge | Bainbridge | 2024 |
| Boulders, The | Greencastle | 1993 |
| Brick Chapel United Methodist Church | Greencastle | 2003 |
| Brown, Samuel, House | Roachdale | 2006 |
| Cloverdale Historic District | Cloverdale | 2018 |
| Cornstalk Covered Bridge | Roachdale | 2024 |
| Courthouse Square Historic District | Greencastle | 1984 |
| Delta Kappa Epilson Fraternity House | Greencastle | 1996 |
| Dick Huffman Covered Bridge | Cloverdale | 2024 |
| Dunbar Covered Bridge | Greencastle | 2024 |
| East College of DePauw University | Greencastle | 1975 |
| Eastern Enlargement Historic District | Greencastle | 2011 |
| Edna Collings Covered Bridge | Clinton Falls | 2024 |
| Forest Hill Cemetery | Greencastle | 2015 |
| Hazelett, Richard M., House | Greencastle | 2006 |
| Hirt, Alfred, House | Greencastle | 1991 |
| Houck Covered Bridge | Greencastle | 2024 |
| McHaffie, Melville F., Farm | Stilesville | 1983 |
| McKim Observatory, DePauw University | Greencastle | 1978 |
| National Road over Deer Creek Historic District | Putnamville | 2018 |
| Nelson, F.P., House | Greencastle | 1983 |
| Northwood Historic District | Greencastle | 2011 |
| O'Hair, James Edington Montgomery, House | Brick Chapel | 1992 |
| Oakalla Covered Bridge | Greencastle | 2024 |
| Old Greencastle Historic District | Greencastle | 2011 |
| Pine Bluff Covered Bridge | Bainbridge | 2024 |
| Putnam County Bridge No. 159 | Reelsville | 1999 |
| Putnamville Presbyterian Church | Putnamville | 1984 |
| Roachdale Historic District | Roachdale | 2020 |
| Rolling Stone Covered Bridge | Bainbridge | 2024 |
| Russellville Historic District | Russellville | 2019 |
| Stoner, Lycurgus, House | Greencastle | 1985 |
| Van Arsdel, William C., House | Greencastle | 1984 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBPutnam was formed in 1822 (1822-04-01) from Owen, Vigo, WABASH New Purchase.
PUTNAM created from OWEN, VIGO, and WABASH New Purchase.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusPutnam County population from 1830 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1830 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,262 | 16,843 | 20,681 | 22,501 | 21,478 | 19,880 | 20,839 | 22,950 | 24,927 | 29,163 | 36,019 | 36,726 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS40 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 40 of 40 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Bainbridge Cemetery |
| Bakesburg Cemetery |
| Belle Union Branch Cemetery |
| Biddle Cemetery |
| Boone - Hutcheson Cemetery |
| Carmel Cemetery |
| Clear Creek Cemetery |
| Coffman Cemetery |
| Doe Creek Cemetery |
| Fillmore Cemetery |
| Flatwoods Cemetery |
| Forest Hill Cemetery |
| Forgey Cemetery |
| Grable Cemetery |
| Greeley Cemetery |
| Grider Cemetery |
| Groveland Cemetery |
| Hartman Cemetery |
| Hebron Cemetery |
| LaFollette Cemetery |
| Landes Cemetery |
| Liberty Cemetery |
| Little Walnut Cemetery |
| Lower Boone Cemetery |
| Matkin Cemetery |
| Mill Creek Cemetery |
| Mount Pleasant Cemetery |
| New Providence Cemetery |
| Nicolas Cemetery |
| Old Bethel Cemetery |
| Old Union Cemetery |
| Peffley Cemetery |
| Pickle Cemetery |
| Pisgah Cemetery |
| Randel Cemetery |
| Roachdale Cemetery |
| Salem Cemetery |
| Skillman Cemetery |
| Sutherlin Cemetery |
| Wesley Chapel Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Putnam County, Indiana
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