Founded in 1819, the village is named after the city of Versailles in France. Versailles was originally named Jacksonville, in honor of Andrew Jackson and his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Later on, as a large number of early residents were of French descent, it was suggested that the village's name be changed to "Versailles" in memory of their homeland. Versailles became the new name of the village in 1837.
Village name
The proper local pronunciation of the name is ver-sales, with the accent on the second syllable, unlike the French city of the same name. It is unclear as to why the pronunciation deviates from the original French, but some local legends claim that it was due to spite. While many early residents were of French descent, there were also many of German descent. As an insult to the French culture, the German population purposely mispronounced the town's name and this insult has stuck ever since.
Geography
Versailles is located at. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,687 people, 1,083 households, and 686 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 1,150 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 99.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. 45.9% were of German, 33.8% French, and 11.0% Irish ancestries. There were 1,083 households of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couplesliving together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the village was 39.8 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64, and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,589 people, 1,061 households, and 687 families living in the village. The population density was 1,482.5 people per square mile. There were 1,109 housing units at an average density of 635.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 99.38% White, 0.04% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population. There were 1,061 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 3.00. In the village, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $37,908, and the median income for a family was $47,717. Males had a median income of $32,440 versus $25,194 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,275. About 3.5% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Versailles is also known for hosting its yearly Poultry Days festival on the second full weekend of June. The festival consists of crowning a "Ms. Chick" and "Little Miss Chick," a carnival, a parade, the production of over 25,000 slow roasted chicken dinners, and the Poultry Days Ultimate tournament.
Education
There is one school building in Versailles. The building houses Elementary, Middle, and Jr./Sr. High School. The new school was finished in 2010 and is still in the Versailles Exempted School district. The school's new address is 280 Marker Road. The school was paid for by the Versailles people in tax dollars.
