Henry County is a county in Indiana, United States, in the east-central part of the state. It had a population of 48,914 at the 2020 census and covers 394.83 square miles (1,022.6 km2) centred near 39°55′N 85°24′W.
New Castle is the county seat as well as the county’s only city, and its postal code is 47362. Henry County has nine incorporated municipalities — one city and eight towns — plus more than two dozen unincorporated communities spread across 13 civil townships. The county is in the Eastern time zone; its FIPS code is 18065.
Towns & Villages in Henry County
New Castle, the county seat, is Henry County’s only incorporated city. Eight incorporated towns and roughly thirty unincorporated communities and rural crossroads round out the county. In the table below, “Town” and “City · seat” are incorporated municipalities; “Unincorp.” covers hamlets, former rail stops and crossroads that have no city or town government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle | City · seat | Harrison | 17,206 | 47362 |
| Knightstown | Town | Blue River | 2,088 | 46148 |
| Middletown | Town | Jefferson | — | 47356 |
| Spiceland | Town | Spiceland | — | 47385 |
| Springport | Town | — | — | 47386 |
| Shirley | Town | — | — | 47384 |
| Mooreland | Town | — | — | 47360 |
| Sulphur Springs | Town | — | — | 47388 |
| Kennard | Town | — | — | 46047 |
| Lewisville | Unincorp. | — | — | 47352 |
| Straughn | Unincorp. | — | — | 47387 |
| Mount Summit | Unincorp. | — | — | 47361 |
| Greensboro | Unincorp. | Greensboro | — | — |
| Cadiz | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dunreith | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Blountsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ashland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Belmont | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Corwin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fayne Siding | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Foley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grant City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hillsboro | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Honey Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Knox | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Luray | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Maple Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mechanicsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Messick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Millville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Lawn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Lisbon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ogden | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pierson Station | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Raysville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rogersville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stone Quarry Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Van Nuys | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Westwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
New Castle sits roughly at the geographic center of the county and is the only place in Henry County with its own city government; the eight towns each run their own small elected board. Everything else on the list is an unincorporated hamlet, rail siding or crossroads community with no municipal government of its own — some, like Fayne Siding and Pierson Station, mark long-gone railroad stops rather than active settlements today.
Townships
Henry County is divided into 13 civil townships, which handle local assessment, fire protection and township-trustee poor relief. Population figures below are township totals, which is why they run higher than any single town’s count.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison | — | New Castle |
| Blue River | — | Knightstown |
| Spiceland | — | Spiceland |
| Jefferson | — | Middletown |
| Greensboro | — | Greensboro |
| Dudley | — | — |
| Fall Creek | — | — |
| Franklin | — | — |
| Henry | — | — |
| Liberty | — | — |
| Prairie | — | — |
| Stony Creek | — | — |
| Wayne | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 47362 — New Castle (also serves the surrounding Harrison Township countryside)
- 46148 — Knightstown
- 47356 — Middletown
- 47385 — Spiceland
- 47386 — Springport
- 47384 — Shirley
- 47360 — Mooreland
- 47388 — Sulphur Springs
- 46047 — Kennard
- 47352 — Lewisville
- 47387 — Straughn
- 47361 — Mount Summit
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Cadiz, Dunreith, Blountsville and Greensboro do not carry their own ZIP code and are served by the nearest post-office town listed above.
Geography
Henry County sits on the till plains of east-central Indiana, gently rolling farm country drained by the East Fork of the Whitewater River in the south and Fall Creek and the Big Blue River in the north. Row-crop agriculture covers most of the county between its towns, with wooded stream corridors along the Blue River and Fall Creek.
Henry County borders Randolph County to the east, Wayne County to the southeast, Fayette County to the south, Rush County to the southwest, Hancock County to the west, Madison County to the northwest, and Delaware County to the north.
Demographics
Henry County had a population of 48,914 at the 2020 census. New Castle, with 17,206 residents, is by far the largest community; Knightstown, at 2,088, is the county’s second-largest. Median household income in the county runs below the Indiana median of $69,477, consistent with a rural, manufacturing-and-farming county losing population since its industrial peak. Population density works out to about 125 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Henry County’s economy is anchored by New Castle, historically a Chrysler-supply auto-parts manufacturing town, alongside agriculture (corn and soybeans) across the townships. Henry County Memorial Hospital and the New Castle Community School Corporation are among the county’s larger employers. The New Castle Fieldhouse, built for high-school basketball, is billed as the largest such arena in the world and remains a focal point of local civic life.
History
Henry County was organized in 1822 out of land acquired in the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary’s, part of the “New Purchase” that opened central Indiana to settlement. It was named for Patrick Henry, the Virginia governor and Revolutionary War patriot. The county was also the boyhood home of author Ross Lockridge Jr., whose 1948 novel Raintree County is set largely in a fictionalized version of Henry County.
Getting There
Interstate 70 crosses the southern part of the county through New Castle’s south side, and U.S. Route 36 and U.S. Route 40 run east–west through the county. Indiana state roads 3, 38 and 103 connect the smaller towns to New Castle.
- Indianapolis — 45 miles west
- Muncie — 20 miles northeast
- Richmond — 30 miles southeast
- Anderson — 20 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Indianapolis International Airport, about an hour’s drive west.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Henry County, Indiana?
It is in east-central Indiana, about 45 miles east of Indianapolis, with New Castle as its county seat.
What is the population of Henry County?
48,914 as of the 2020 census.
How big is Henry County?
394.83 square miles (1,022.6 km2), of which about 2.96 square miles is water.
What is the Henry County seat?
New Castle is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Henry County?
One city (New Castle) and eight incorporated towns — Knightstown, Middletown, Spiceland, Springport, Shirley, Mooreland, Sulphur Springs and Kennard — plus around thirty unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Henry County?
ZIP codes include 47362 (New Castle), 46148 (Knightstown), 47356 (Middletown), 47385 (Spiceland), 47386 (Springport), 47384 (Shirley), 47360 (Mooreland), 47388 (Sulphur Springs) and 46047 (Kennard).
Why is Henry County known outside Indiana?
It is the setting for Ross Lockridge Jr.’s 1948 novel Raintree County, later adapted into a 1957 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.