Saint Joseph, Vanderburgh County, Indiana

Saint Joseph
Unincorporated community
Nickname(s): St. Joe County
Saint Joseph Saint Joseph
Coordinates: 38°03′58″N 87°38′49″W / 38.06611°N 87.64694°WCoordinates: 38°03′58″N 87°38′49″W / 38.06611°N 87.64694°W
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Vanderburgh
Township	German
Saint Joseph	1867[1]
Founded by	German immigrants, 1841
Named for	St. Joseph Catholic Church
Elevation[2]	548 ft (167 m)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	47720
Area code(s)	812
GNIS feature ID	442618

Saint Joseph, affectionately called St. Joe County by locals, is an unincorporated community in German Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States and centered on St. Joseph Catholic Church.^[3] Along with that of Darmstadt, its colonization marked the beginning of German-American immigration to southern Indiana. The area was chosen as a settlement for its rich farmland.^[4]

Name

St. Joseph Catholic Church, after which the town is named.

The town is named after the church in its center, St. Joseph Catholic Church. The church is named for the Saint Joseph the Carpenter, the father of Jesus. Unlike most other local communities, St. Joseph has never had a railway station.^[5]

The nickname "St. Joe County" originates from the fact that there are multiple churches by the name of St. Joseph in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville and Vincennes, and different names were needed to distinguish one from the next in conversation and on paperwork. The church is referred to as "St. Joe in the County", referring to the fact that the other St. Joseph Catholic Churches are located in Evansville ("St. Joe [in the] City") and Jasper "St. Joe [in] Jasper"). The name is frequently truncated to "St. Joe County", and members of the diocese have come to know the town as "St. Joe County".

Geography

Saint Joseph is located at 38°03′58″N 87°38′49″W / 38.06611°N 87.64694°W.

References

1. Anna M. Ennis (1990). 1841 - 1991: Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Vanderburgh County: History of our journey. St. Meinrad: Abbey Press.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
3. "Saint Joseph, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
4. "Historic Property Report Section 1, I-64/I-164/SR 57 to SR 64: I-69 Evansville to Indianapolis, Tier 2" (PDF). Federal Highway Administration and Indiana Department of Transportation. November 21, 2005. p. 17. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
5. Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources (1910). "Annual report". 34: 167.