Shoals

History

Shoals was originally called "Memphis"; under the latter name, the community was platted in 1844. The post office at Shoals has been in operation since 1869. A lynching took place at the county courthouse and jail. The Archer boys were accused of torturing and killing a local farmer and were hanged from trees in front of the jail in 1886. Shoals is known for making mother of pearl buttons during the early 20th century. They were made out of mussels from the White River.

Geography

Shoals is located south of the center of Martin County. The East Fork of the White River flows through the center of town, running south and west to join the White River northeast of Petersburg. U.S. Routes 50 and 150 pass through the center of Shoals as 4th Street, leading west to Loogootee, the only city in the county. US 50 leads northeast to Bedford, while US 150 leads southeast to Paoli. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shoals has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.95%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  722
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  623
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  621
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  618
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  546
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  541
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  515
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  500

Largest nearby schools

• Shoals Community Elementary School
  Elementary · Shoals · 314 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Loogootee Elementary School
  Elementary · Loogootee · 299 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Loogootee High School
  High · Loogootee · 241 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Loogootee Middle School
  Middle · Loogootee · 210 students · 15:1 ratio
• Shoals Community High School
  High · Shoals · 192 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Shoals Middle School
  Middle · Shoals · 163 students · 14.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.58 — 2025-08-09
  2 km ESE of Cynthiana, Indiana
• M 2.6 — 2017-10-18
  8 km SE of Lynnville, Indiana
• M 2.6 — 2017-09-16
  4 km WNW of Lynnville, Indiana
• M 3.6 — 2012-11-20
  7 km N of Bellmont, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2012-05-10
  0 km NW of Emison, Indiana
• M 2.7 — 2012-05-10
  1 km NNW of Emison, Indiana