Parke County, Indiana

Parke County is a county in Indiana, United States, along the Wabash River in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 16,156 at the 2020 census and covers 449.98 square miles (1,165.4 km2), centred near 39°47′N 87°13′W.

Rockville is the county seat, and its postal code is 47872. The county has six incorporated towns, three census-designated places, and dozens of unincorporated communities spread across 13 civil townships. Parke County is on Eastern Time and carries FIPS code 18121.

Towns & Villages in Parke County

Parke County contains six incorporated towns, three census-designated places (CDPs), and roughly three dozen unincorporated communities and crossroads. Rockville, near the center of the county at the junction of U.S. Routes 36 and 41, is both the largest town and the county seat. The table below carries the incorporated towns and CDPs with verified 2020 populations; unincorporated places are listed afterward.

Beyond the incorporated towns and CDPs, Parke County’s unincorporated communities and rural crossroads include Annapolis, Armiesburg, Bellmore, Billie Creek Village, Bradfield Corner, Byron, Catlin, Coloma, Coxville, Diamond, Ferndale, Grange Corner, Guion, Hollandsburg, Howard, Hudnut, Jessup, Klondyke, Lena, Lodi, Mansfield, Milligan, Minshall, New Discovery, Numa, Nyesville, Parkeville, Piattsville, Pin Hook, Smockville, Snow Hill, Stumptown, Superior, Sylvania, Tangier, West Atherton, West Melcher, and West Union. Coke Oven Hollow is a recognized ghost town in the county’s eastern hills. A few names on older lists — Alma Lake, Cincinnati, Madalline — could not be independently corroborated and are omitted here pending confirmation.

Townships

Parke County is divided into 13 civil townships: Adams, Florida, Greene, Howard, Jackson, Liberty, Penn, Raccoon, Reserve, Sugar Creek, Union, Wabash, and Washington. Township-level 2020 population figures are not consistently published; Rockville, the county seat, sits in Penn Township.

ZIP Codes

• 47872 — Rockville (the county’s largest ZIP by population)
• 47874 — Rosedale
• 47862 — Montezuma
• 47832 — Bloomingdale
• 47859 — Marshall
• 47860 — Mecca (PO Box service)
• 47836 — Bridgeton (PO Box service)

Judson and Lyford draw mail through neighboring ZIPs rather than codes of their own.

Geography

Parke County sits in west-central Indiana on the Wabash River, with rolling, forested terrain cut by Sugar Creek and Raccoon Creek. The Wabash forms much of the county’s western edge, and Sugar Creek’s covered bridges and ravines draw hikers to Turkey Run and Shades state parks. About 99% of the county’s land is dry ground; the rest is river and creek water.

Parke County borders Vermillion County to the northwest, Fountain County to the north, Montgomery County to the east, Putnam County to the southeast, Clay County to the south, and Vigo County to the southwest.

Demographics

Parke County had 16,156 residents at the 2020 census, with a population density of about 39 people per square mile. Rockville and Montezuma are its two largest communities. Across the county’s ZIP codes, the weighted median household income runs around $65,700, below the Indiana median of $69,477.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture, county government, and tourism anchor Parke County’s economy. Corn and soybean farms cover most of the townships outside the river valleys, and Rockville’s courthouse square serves as the seat of county government and commerce. The county markets itself as the “Covered Bridge Capital of the World,” home to 31 historic covered bridges, and hosts the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival every October, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Rockville and the surrounding towns.

History

Parke County organized in 1821 out of a portion of Vigo County and was named for Benjamin Parke, an early Indiana territorial judge and one of the state’s first congressmen. Rockville was platted as the county seat that same decade. The county’s covered bridges, many built in the mid-to-late 1800s to cross Sugar Creek and Raccoon Creek, became the centerpiece of local identity in the 20th century, and Bridgeton’s grist mill and covered bridge remain among the most photographed landmarks in the state.

Getting There

U.S. Routes 36 and 41 cross at Rockville, and Interstate 70 runs along the county’s southern edge near Vigo County.

• Terre Haute — 22 miles southwest
• Crawfordsville — 26 miles northeast
• Greencastle — 22 miles southeast
• Indianapolis — about 65 miles east

Terre Haute Regional Airport, in neighboring Vigo County, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Parke County?
Parke County is in west-central Indiana, along the Wabash River, bordering Illinois-adjacent Vermillion County to the northwest.

What is the population of Parke County?
16,156 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Parke County?
449.98 square miles (1,165.4 km2), including about 5.3 square miles of water.

What is the Parke County seat?
Rockville is the county seat.

How many towns are in Parke County?
Six incorporated towns — Rockville, Montezuma, Rosedale, Bloomingdale, Mecca, and Marshall — plus three census-designated places and about three dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Parke County?
47872 (Rockville), 47874 (Rosedale), 47862 (Montezuma), 47832 (Bloomingdale), 47859 (Marshall), 47860 (Mecca), and 47836 (Bridgeton).

Why is Parke County called the Covered Bridge Capital of the World?
It has 31 historic covered bridges spanning Sugar Creek and Raccoon Creek, celebrated each October at the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.