Putnam County is a county in Indiana, United States, in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 36,726 at the 2020 census and covers 482.69 square miles (1,250.2 km2) centred near 39°40′N 86°50′W.
Greencastle is the county seat, and its postal code is 46135. The county has 5 incorporated towns, 2 census-designated places, and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities, spread across 13 civil townships. Putnam County is in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Putnam County
Putnam County’s settlements range from Greencastle, the county seat and home to DePauw University, down to unincorporated crossroads with only a handful of houses. The table below covers the incorporated towns, the two census-designated places, and the unincorporated communities carried forward from county records. «CDP» means census-designated place (an unincorporated community the Census Bureau tracks separately); «Unincorp.» means an unincorporated community with no census figure of its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greencastle | City · seat | Greencastle | — | 46135 |
| Cloverdale | Town | Cloverdale | — | 46120 |
| Fillmore | Town | Floyd | — | 46128 |
| Roachdale | Town | Monroe | — | 46172 |
| Bainbridge | Town | Clinton | — | 46105 |
| Russellville | Town | Marion | — | 46175 |
| Heritage Lake | CDP | Franklin | — | 46135 |
| Van Bibber Lake | CDP | Warren | — | — |
| Putnamville | Unincorp. | Madison | — | 46170 |
| Reelsville | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | 46171 |
| Manhattan | Unincorp. | Jefferson | — | — |
| Mount Meridian | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Fincastle | Unincorp. | Russell | — | — |
| Groveland | Unincorp. | Franklin | — | — |
| Bainard | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Belle Union | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brick Chapel | Unincorp. | Cloverdale | — | — |
| Brunerstown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cagles Mill | Unincorp. | Cloverdale | — | — |
| Carpentersville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cary | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clinton Falls | Unincorp. | Clinton | — | — |
| Jenkinsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keytsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Limedale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Morton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Maysville | Unincorp. | Jefferson | — | — |
| Pleasant Gardens | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Portland Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Raccoon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vivalia | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two similarly named crossings, Raab Crossroads and Hirt Corner, and one community, Board Park (likely a variant of “Broad Park” on the same old list), could not be independently corroborated and are omitted — see notes for detail. Westland and Edgewood Lake, both Heritage Lake-area subdivisions, and Fox Ridge, a residential development, are folded into the Heritage Lake CDP entry rather than listed separately.
Townships
Putnam County is divided into 13 civil townships, each administered by a trustee who handles local services such as fire protection and poor relief. Individual 2020 township population counts were not independently verified for this profile and are omitted rather than guessed.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Greencastle | — | Greencastle |
| Cloverdale | — | Cloverdale, Cagles Mill, Brick Chapel |
| Clinton | — | Bainbridge, Clinton Falls |
| Floyd | — | Fillmore |
| Franklin | — | Heritage Lake, Groveland |
| Jackson | — | Reelsville |
| Jefferson | — | Manhattan, New Maysville |
| Madison | — | Putnamville |
| Marion | — | Russellville |
| Monroe | — | Roachdale |
| Russell | — | Fincastle |
| Warren | — | Van Bibber Lake |
| Washington | — | Mount Meridian |
ZIP Codes
- 46135 — Greencastle (also serves Heritage Lake)
- 46120 — Cloverdale
- 46128 — Fillmore
- 46172 — Roachdale
- 46105 — Bainbridge
- 46175 — Russellville
- 46170 — Putnamville
- 46171 — Reelsville
Smaller unincorporated communities without a post office of their own, such as Manhattan and Mount Meridian, are served by the ZIP code of the nearest larger town or by a rural route out of Greencastle.
Geography
Putnam County lies on the rolling till plains of west-central Indiana, drained by the North and South forks of Big Walnut Creek, Mill Creek, and Raccoon Creek. Cagles Mill Lake, in the county’s southwest corner, was Indiana’s first flood-control reservoir, built in 1952 and now the centrepiece of Cataract Falls Recreation Area. Several 19th-century covered bridges, including the Dunbar, Houck, and Rolling Stone bridges, still cross the county’s creeks.
Putnam County borders Montgomery County to the north, Hendricks County to the east, Morgan County to the southeast, Owen County to the south, Clay County to the southwest, and Parke County to the west.
Demographics
Putnam County’s population was 36,726 at the 2020 census, spread across 480.53 square miles of land for a density of about 76 people per square mile. Greencastle, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by Cloverdale. The county’s median household income runs below the Indiana median of $69,477, reflecting its rural, small-town economic base.
Economy & Local Life
Higher education anchors the county’s economy: DePauw University, a private liberal-arts college founded in Greencastle in 1837, is one of the county’s largest employers and draws students and visitors year-round. Manufacturing, logistics along Interstate 70, and agriculture — corn, soybeans, and livestock on the county’s outlying farmland — round out the economic base. Putnam Park Road Course and Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville give the county a motorsports niche alongside its farm-town character.
History
Putnam County was created by the Indiana General Assembly in 1821 and organized in April 1822, carved from the frontier land opened after the Treaty of St. Mary’s. It was named for Israel Putnam, a French and Indian War veteran and American Revolutionary War general who never set foot in Indiana — a common naming pattern for early Midwestern counties honoring Revolutionary figures. Greencastle was platted as the county seat the same year. DePauw University’s founding in 1837 as Indiana Asbury University shaped the town’s identity for the next two centuries, and Cagles Mill Lake’s 1952 construction was a major mid-20th-century public works project for the region.
Getting There
Interstate 70 crosses the northern part of Putnam County, and U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 40 both run through Greencastle, giving the county direct road access to Indianapolis.
- Indianapolis — 40 miles east
- Terre Haute — 30 miles west
- Bloomington — 35 miles south
- Crawfordsville — 25 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Indianapolis International Airport, about 45 miles east of Greencastle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Putnam County, Indiana?
It is in west-central Indiana, about 40 miles west of Indianapolis along Interstate 70.
What is the population of Putnam County?
36,726 at the 2020 census.
How big is Putnam County?
482.69 square miles (1,250.2 km2), of which 480.53 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Putnam County?
Greencastle is the county seat and home to DePauw University.
How many towns are in Putnam County?
Five incorporated towns — Greencastle, Cloverdale, Fillmore, Roachdale, and Bainbridge — plus Russellville and two census-designated places, Heritage Lake and Van Bibber Lake.
What ZIP codes are in Putnam County?
Main ZIP codes include 46135 (Greencastle), 46120 (Cloverdale), 46128 (Fillmore), 46172 (Roachdale), and 46105 (Bainbridge).
What is Putnam County known for?
DePauw University, Cagles Mill Lake (Indiana’s first flood-control reservoir), and several historic covered bridges.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.