Jackson County

Jackson County, formed in 1816, was named after General Andrew Jackson who defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 and later became President.   The County Seat is Brownstown, named for Jacob Brown, a general of the War of 1812.  The county made history as Seymour, another city, was the site of the first recorded train robbery of a moving train in the U.S.  The Reno Gang robbed the train making off with over $10,000.  They were caught and imprisoned and were later lynched at Hangman’s Crossing outside of town.  Seymour was actually referred to as the ‘Crossroads of America’ as the railroads from all four directions intersected downtown. Also of note, Jackson County has the second longest 3-Span covered bridge in the world, The Medora Covered Bridge.  Singer, John Mellencamp was born in Seymour, just in case you didn’t know.