Two major highways, Interstate 69 and Indiana State Road 67, carry large numbers of daily commuters between the two larger communities.

In 1818, a series of treaties was concluded, resulting in the confinement of the Miami tribe to the reserve area and the removal of the Delaware tribe, who had dominated central and east central Indiana, to west of the Mississippi River by 1820, clearing the way for colonization.

Subsequently, 35 new counties (including Morgan, authorized on February 15, 1822) were carved out of the original area.

It was named for Gen. Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War.

The Mooresville area and surrounding communities received large numbers of southern Quakers, driven to migrate because of their opposition to slavery.

Paul Hadley, a Mooresville resident, was the designer of the current Indiana flag, as well as a locally prominent water color artist in the early twentieth century.

It was almost identical to Hodgson's Jennings County courthouse in Vernon, which was also begun in 1857, but the Martinsville building received an addition in the 1970s; the original section was also remodeled and renovated at that time.

The building is of red brick with white stone quoins and has tall windows with round arches, arranged in pairs.

[9] The extensive woodlands of the eighteenth century have been cleared on the county's flat areas, with agricultural or urban uses dominating.

The county is significantly carved with wooded drainages, leading to the southwest-flowing White River.

The river valley and contributing watersheds, along with the non-glaciated hills, results in a topography unlike the rest of the metropolitan Indianapolis area.

The council members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget and special spending.

The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue and manage the county government.

[16] The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk.

[16] Each township has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties.