Union County, located on the Indiana-Ohio border, is the second least populous county in Indiana, following Ohio County. It is home to the Union County-College Corner Joint School District, the only joint state school district in Indiana and Ohio.

The girl behind ‘Little Orphant Annie’

Born in Liberty, Indiana, Mary Alice “Allie” Smith inspired Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley to write his 1885 poem “Little Orphant Annie.” When Smith became an orphan at 9 years old, Riley’s family took her in as a servant to help his mother with household chores and his three siblings. Originally titled “The Elf Child,” Riley later renamed the poem to “Little Orphant Allie,” but a typesetting error changed “Allie” to “Annie.” Riley kept the misprint because the poem had already become popular under its new name. The poem later inspired the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” which led to a Broadway musical and multiple film adaptations. 

Scenic views, rich history

Whitewater Memorial State Park in Liberty was established in 1949 as Indiana’s 16th state park. Union, Fayette, Franklin, and Wayne counties originally purchased the land to memorialize those who served in World War II. Today, the state park features shoreline hiking, flat-water boating, and fishing at its 200-acre Whitewater Lake, along with nine miles of horseback riding trails. The state park is also a prime spot for birdwatching, as migrating flocks pass through to travel between Canada and Mexico. Sandhill cranes have become a common sight at the state park’s Brookville Lake, and visitors can bring their binoculars for a closer look during its “Sandhill Saunter” viewings.

Painting the Hoosier landscape

William McKendree Snyder, born in Liberty in 1848, was a painter best known for his Indiana landscapes, especially of southern Indiana Beech trees. After serving as a drummer boy in the Civil War, he studied under painters George Inness, Albert Bierstadt, and William Morris Hunt to refine his composition, layout, gradation, and tonality skills. Strongly influenced by the Hudson River School — an art movement rooted in Romanticism — Snyder became one of the first artists to paint in Brown County, Indiana, helping to establish the Brown County Art Colony. Today, Synder’s artwork is mainly a part of private collections and art galleries.

County facts

Founded: 1821

Named For: Uniting parts of Fayette, Franklin, and Wayne Counties

Population: 7,087

County seat: Liberty

Indiana county number: 81

Nicole Thomas is a freelance writer from Indianapolis.