Mitchell

Small Town Breakdown

From small-town hospitality and rich history to Spring Mill State Park, the hometown of astronaut Gus Grissom, and site of Indiana’s spookiest house, Mitchell checks many boxes on why it’s worth a visit.

Fast Facts

📍LOCATION: Southern Indiana

• Mitchell is located within Marion Township in south central Lawrence County

• State Road 37 runs north-south through town and aligns with the historic Dixie Highway; State Road 60 runs on the south edge of town on an east-west plane and leads to Spring Mill State Park

• 1 hour and 35 minutes south of Indianapolis

• 50 minutes south of Bloomington

• 1 hour and 15 minutes northwest of Louisville

👥 POPULATION & RANKING

• 3,942 residents (as of 2023)

• Ranks as Indiana’s 152nd-largest city

• Second-largest of three incorporated towns/cities in Lawrence County behind Bedford (13,855) and ahead of Oolitic (1,135)

📏 LAND AREA

• 3.6 square miles

📅 FOUNDED

• Lawrence County was founded in 1818

• The land was originally a portion from Knox and Harrison counties before becoming part of Washington and Orange counties

• The county was named for naval officer Captain James Lawrence, who coined the phrase “don’t give up the ship” in the War of 1812

• The first county seat was Palestine, located on the bluffs of the White River, but a malaria outbreak forced the state legislature to move the seat to Bedford

• Lawrence County is home to part of the third-largest Naval base in the world, the Naval Surface Warfare Center - Crane Division

• Mitchell was founded in Marion Township in 1853 as a railroad town where “the Monon” — a north-south line from New Albany to Chicago — intersected with the east-west line of Ohio and Mississippi Railway

• West Point graduate and University of Cincinnati professor Ormsby Mitchell helped plat the town in exchange for naming it for him; he later became a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War

• Mitchell became an incorporated town in 1864 and city in 1907

🏥 MAIN INDUSTRIES: Manufacturing, Limestone

• Heidelberg Materials (formerly Lehigh Cement) has one of its more than 450 locations in Mitchell and is a leading supplier of cement, aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt

• Lawrence County is known as the “Limestone Capital of the World” — the first quarry in Indiana opened near Mitchell in 1830

Spring Mill State Park

For outdoor enthusiasts, Spring Mill State Park is located three miles east of Mitchell and features caves, trails, and an 1800s pioneer village that showcases Indiana's natural and cultural heritage.

You can take a boat ride into Twin Cave, walk into Donaldson Cave, or try out spelunking in Bronson Cave. The park was recommended by country-music artist Clayton Anderson on the Get IN podcast, too!

Gus Grissom

Inside Spring Mill State Park is the Grissom Memorial Museum that pays tribute to Virgil “Gus” Grissom, a Mitchell-born astronaut who later became the second American to fly in space before tragically dying with two others in the Apollo I accident. In Mitchell, you can visit Grissom’s boyhood home and visit the Gus Grissom Rocket Monument.

Let’s Play…

Mitchell is home to Whispers Estate, an active haunted house that was rated as the fourth-most terrifying place in America by the Travel Channel in 2010.

The house was built in 1894 and was the site of a doctor’s medical practice for nearly 30 years. The roughly two dozen ghosts and spirits are believed to have been his patients.

Google reviews by those who have stepped inside the home or better yet, stayed overnight, speak of being touched, hearing whispers, and experiencing paranormal activity.

Don’t believe the house is haunted? Listen up.

Chase Briscoe

NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe was born in Mitchell and will race in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday, July 27.

Briscoe is currently in eighth place out of 44 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, and a win at the Brickyard — something he wants more than winning the Daytona 500 — would do the Hoosier wonders. He hasn’t won on the IMS 2.5-mile oval, but he did win the Xfinity Series race on the IMS road course in 2020.

We’re backing the No. 19 car.

More on Mitchell

• Mitchell’s downtown district is on the National Register of Historic Places and includes dozens of buildings that were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Mitchell Opera House sits within the district alongside historic churches, banks and everything in between.

• Don’t miss out on the annual Persimmon Festival scheduled for Sept. 20 and Sept. 22-27 this fall. The first edition took place in 1948 and is held during the last week of September when the fruit persimmons are falling to the ground. Fest-goers can enjoy fair foods, carnival rides, nightly entertainment, and a grand parade on the final day.

• The Railroad Cafe Lounge has awesome tenderloin sandwiches and pies that are second to none. They know how to entertain, too, with live music and comedians scheduled throughout the year.

• Huckleberry’s Bakery is the best spot in town to grab a morning beverage and fresh pastry or dessert. They’ve cooked up a 4.7-star Google rating among over 225 reviews.

If you’re up for a hike in Spring Mill State Park, a haunt at the Whispers Estate, or a history lesson while exploring the downtown district, Mitchell is the place to be.

Check out Nate’s breakdown of Mitchell ⬇️