Borden, Indiana

Town of Borden
—  Town  —
Downtown Borden
Nickname(s): Scenic Valley
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 38°28′14″N 85°56′49″W / 38.47056°N 85.94694°W / 38.47056; -85.94694Coordinates: 38°28′14″N 85°56′49″W / 38.47056°N 85.94694°W / 38.47056; -85.94694
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Clark
Township	Wood
Area
– Total	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Land	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	561 ft (171 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	808
– Density	736.9/sq mi (284.5/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47106
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-06634[1]
GNIS feature ID	0431353[2]
Website	http://www.bordenindiana.com/

Borden is a town in Wood Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States. The population was 808 at the 2010 census. The town's official name was New Providence until December 29, 1994.

History

The town was founded in 1816 by John Borden and was originally called New Providence, after the capital of Rhode Island. In 1884, the Borden Institute was founded by William W. Borden, son of John Borden, as a college for teacher preparation and laboratory-based scientific studies. The town honored William W. Borden by unofficially renaming the town Borden. Around 1910 the Borden Institute became used as William W. Borden High School, or simply Borden High School, and served this purpose until 1955. The town became officially known as Borden in 1994.

Borden is served by the CSX (formally Monon) rail system. Borden was once one of the main loading points for carloads of strawberries shipped by The Borden-Pekin Berry Growers Association north along the Monon Rail. The large volume of strawberries supplied by the area farmers influenced the naming of the athletic teams at Borden High School. The teams were lovingly nicknamed the Borden Berries in 1934 and the name was used until 1966 when it was changed by the student body to the Borden Braves. Many in the town today still prefer the Berries nickname for its quaintness and uniqueness. Strawberries continue to be farmed in the Borden area, especially in nearby Starlight, Indiana where the Starlight Strawberry Festival is held each Memorial Day weekend.

A well known establishment in Borden is Brewer's General Store. This family owned store was opened by John Brewer in 1931 and has been owned and managed by the extended Brewer family since. Due to Borden's rural setting, Brewer's has taken pride in marketing itself as a provider of goods in the Scenic "Hillbilly" Valley. Favorites of the store include a large wheel of Wisconsin Rat Trap Cheese, Amish Hard Candies and Hillbilly Popsickles (large dill pickles served on a wooden stick).

In the 1960s, several dams were constructed along the tributaries leading to Muddy Fork, which runs through the town. This helped keep Borden from being flooded during heavy rains. On April 3, 1974, a massive F4 tornado struck the west side of Borden before moving into nearby Daisy Hill, killing one person. On May 27, 2004, an F2 tornado struck the northern edge of the town, doing damage to the trees on the hillside but fortunately causing no deaths.

In the early 2000s, William W. Borden High School underwent an expansion project and a new building was built in place of the school parking lot. A new parking lot was then built at the old Borden Park. With the help and generosity of the Koetter family of Starlight, the town then built a new Community Park on the East end of Borden near the Kimball International plant, along Muddy Fork. It includes basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer field, a little league baseball complex, a walking path along the fork, and a war memorial for local residents who served in the military. The Borden Valley Day Festival is held in the park annually on the second Saturday in June.

Perhaps Borden High School's most famous alum is Joe Huber, who is regionally known as the founder of the popular Joe Huber's Family Farm and Restaurant in Starlight, Indiana. Norman M. Coats of Kirkwood, MO; a 1944 Borden High School Graduate, World War II Veteran, Businessman and Author; wrote a compelling book called "Growing Up on Daisy Hill", which chronicles his early years being born and raised in the nearby hills and hollows of Borden during The Great Depression. Borden is also the current home of nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel.

Geography

Borden is located at 38°28′14″N 85°56′49″W / 38.47056°N 85.94694°W / 38.47056; -85.94694 (38.470665, -85.947025)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 818 people, 331 households, and 231 families residing in the town. The population density was 736.4 people per square mile (284.5/km²). There were 355 housing units at an average density of 319.6 per square mile (123.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.61% Native American, 0.49% Asian, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.

There were 331 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,962, and the median income for a family was $44,868. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,800 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,417. About 10.3% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

4. "Bordenites, Berries and Braves - A History of Borden High School Basketball" by Larry Johnson and Terry Rademacher - revised 2009.

 5.  "Growing Up On Daisy Hill" - Norman M. Coats - 2001.

External links

• Town of Borden, Indiana website
• Borden Church of Christ website
• Scenic Valley Wood Products (a.k.a. Al's Woodcraft, Inc.)
• Borden Community Church website