Vernon is a town within Vernon Township and the county seat of Jennings County, Indiana, United States. With a population of 318 in the 2010 census, it is the smallest town with that designation in the state of Indiana, lying just south of the much larger North Vernon. It is also the smallest county seat in Indiana. It is nearly surrounded by the Muscatatuck River. Vernon is the only Indiana town with an elected mayor and an elected town marshal. , Dan Wright is the mayor and Britt Burgmeier is the marshal. The Vernon Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the site of many firsts in the state. The first area set aside for use as a public playground in Indiana, The Commons The first elevated railroad overpass west of the Alleghenies The first all women's jury in Indiana The first Disciples of Christ church in Indiana It was also the home of Indiana's fourth state park, now called Muscatatuck County Park. History Vernon was named after Mount Vernon. The Vernon post office was established in 1817. Vernon was the site of a near-battle on July 11, 1863, during Morgan's Raid. John Hunt Morgan demanded the surrender of the town, which was defended by 100 local militia in strong positions on hills and bluffs overlooking the Muscatatuck River and 178 Union troops under the command of Colonel Hugh Williams. The defenders successfully stalled Morgan until 1,000 Union troops under the command of Brigadier General John Love arrived. Morgan ultimately retreated south toward Dupont, Indiana. Geography According to the 2010 census, Vernon has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 318 people, 134 households, and 84 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.5% White, 0.3% African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 134 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made