Tell City, Indiana

 town, county seat

www.tellcityindiana.com

Tell City is a city in Troy Township, Perry County, Indiana, along the Ohio River, Indiana's southern border. The population was 7,272 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Perry County.

History:
Tell City traces its 145+ year old roots to a meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1856. A group of Swiss-German immigrants met there to organize a society known as the "Swiss Colonization Society." Its purpose was to obtain affordable homesteads for mechanics, shopkeepers, factory workers and small farmers in a location where all could live in harmony.

The Society decided to purchase a tract of land three miles square to be surveyed into a city plot. The group, which was to purchase the land, was told to keep in mind a healthful climate, fertile soil, good water, ample timber, and a location near a navigable river and a railroad, if possible. Purchase of such a site was made in July 1857. The tract, containing 4,152 acres, was laid out in 392 town blocks with 7,328 building lots and 294 garden lots.

Before the settlers arrived, a name for the new town was selected. Initially called Helvetia, it was soon renamed Tell City, a name easier to pronounce and remember for English-speaking people. It was named for the legendary Swiss hero and liberator William Tell.

Indicative of the foresightedness of Tell City's founders are the wide streets. They are named for great persons of the arts, letters and science: Washington, Gutenberg, Pestalozzi, Humboldt, Fulton, Schiller, Tell, Mozart, Watt and others.

With 100 years of recorded history, the citizens of Tell City decided to honor the early settlers and the founding of Tell City with a grand celebration. That centennial celebration was held August 10-17, 1958.

After the success of the Centennial, the Tell City Historical Society decided to sponsor a festival in 1959 as an experiment to determine if the community would support an annual celebration. The festival, appropriately named Schweitzer Fest (Swiss Fest), was a great success. Today, the festival remains one of Indiana's longest running community festivals.

On March 17, 1960, Northwest Airlines Lockheed Electra lost a wing due to propeller whirl mode and crashed in southern Indiana near Tell City. All 63 on board including the crew perished. The victims were impacted in a 30-foot deep crater, which became their final resting place. A monument with the names of the victims and the date of the tragedy marks the grave.

Tell City is also home to the Tell City High School Marksmen. The school is in Class AA for football and basketball and has been a member of the SIAC, The Big 8, and more recently, the PAC, of which the school was a founding member in 1938. This past year the Lady Marksmen Cross Country team won the Bedford Semi-State.