Saint Joseph | |
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— Unincorporated — | |
Nickname(s): St. Joe County | |
Coordinates: | |
Country | United States |
State | Indiana |
County | Vanderburgh |
Township | German |
Founder | German immigrants, 1841 |
Named for | St. Joseph Catholic Church |
Elevation | 548 ft (167 m) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 47720 |
Area code(s) | 812 |
FIPS code | |
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 around St. Joseph Catholic Church. 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.[1]
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.
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".
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