The future county's first permanent settlement was Rushville, founded in 1846 by persecuted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they were being driven out of Nauvoo, Illinois. This is not to be confused with the state's present-day Rushville in Jasper County. A nearby settlement, also founded by the Mormon settlers, was called Coonsville after Dr. Liberius Coons, one of the first arrivals. That settlement continued after the Mormons moved on; its name was changed to Glenwood in 1853. In Glenwood, the first courthouse was a small frame building which served until 1857. It was replaced by a two-story building, which was enlarged in the 1900s and received a clock tower in 1910. In 1959 this building was replaced with the present building, dedicated on August 29, 1959.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,059 in the county, with a population density of. There were 6,109 housing units, of which 5,605 were occupied.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,547 people, 5,324 households, and 3,939 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile. There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 97.97% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,324 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couplesliving together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,428, and the median income for a family was $49,592. Males had a median income of $31,721 versus $24,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,736. About 5.80% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
