Parke County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Wabash River.

[8] It is the site for the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival which has been held in October each year.

[9] Parke County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The first European settlement of the western area of Indiana along the Wabash River was by French-Canadian colonists, who founded Vincennes in 1703.

When General William Henry Harrison took an army from Vincennes to the Battle of Tippecanoe in late 1811 to fight with the Indians, Zachariah Cicott served as a scout.

The settlement of Armiesburg in Wabash Township was so named because Harrison and his army crossed the Raccoon Creek and camped near there on their way to the battle.

It was named for Captain Benjamin Parke, who commanded a troop of light Dragoons at the Battle of Tippecanoe.

The architects for this building were Thomas J. Tolan and his son Brentwood of Fort Wayne; they designed seven Indiana courthouses, as well as two in Ohio, and one each in Iowa and Illinois.

(The firm also designed the Rockville sheriff's resident and jail, as well as others in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Tennessee).

[n 1][14] Items deposited in the cornerstone included documents of the town's history, postage stamps, several varieties of grain grown in the county, coins, and photographs.

[16] Parke County lies in western Indiana about halfway between the state's north and south borders.

North of Rockville, the gently undulating land is glacial till resulting from Wisconsinan glaciation.

The Shelbyville moraine divides this from the nearly level Illinoisan till plain in the south part of the county.

[26] In the far northwestern corner, Indiana State Road 234 enters from Cayuga and runs for less than a mile to Lodi before going north and leaving the county.

[27] A small portion of a major CSX Transportation railroad line passes through the southwest corner of the county, entering from Clinton to the west, then going south toward Terre Haute.

Another CSX line enters the far southeastern corner of the county on its way from Terre Haute to Indianapolis.

[29] From 1950 through 2009, eight tornadoes were reported in Parke County; none resulted in any deaths or injuries, but the total estimated property damage was over $280,000.

He taught, conducted research, and wrote a number of books; among other accomplishments, he identified what became known as the Allee effect.

[32] William Henry Harrison Beadle was born in a log cabin in Parke County in 1838.

His father offered him a farm, but he accepted $1,000 for an education instead and studied civil engineering at the University of Michigan.

[33] Baseball great Mordecai Brown was born in the unincorporated town of Nyesville in Parke County on October 19, 1876.

[35] Knute Cauldwell was born in Parke County and played in the early years of the National Football League.

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

The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue and managing day-to-day functions of the county government.

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

Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government.

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