The early history of Newton County, Indiana, is dramatic. Although it was first formed in 1835, the county was abolished and combined with Jasper County four years later. In 1859, a new version became the last of Indiana’s counties to be formally organized1. Commissioners chose the town of Kent to be county seat in June 18602, and the current courthouse was finished forty-six years later.
Many things happened between 1860 and 1906. For starters, the first county courthouse in Kentland was built in 1860. Measuring three bays wide with columns, gabled roof, and belfry3, the frame structure resembled an old schoolhouse or a rural church.
Unfortunately, an obscure piece of legislation allowed the county seat to be relocated if two-thirds of eligible voters submitted a petition. Shortly after the courthouse was completed, six residents of Beaver City built a duplicate of the building and demanded the seat be moved4! Fortunately for Kentland, the petition was thrown out.
Additional attempts followed. In 1861, three people from the town of Brook submitted a request to move the seat there. A.J. Kent, the founder of Kentland, filed a remonstrance against it, arguing that people who had signed the petition but had since joined the army were no longer legal voters. Officials agreed, and it, too, was thrown out.
Had enough? Locals hadn’t: Beaver City tried to claim the title again in 1869, but their effort failed. The following year, residents of Morocco got in on the action by filing thirty petitions! For reasons unknown, their requests were withdrawn the next day.
The fifth attempt to relocate the seat of government came in 1872 when even more people from Brook submitted a petition to transfer it there. A sixth go-around happened four years later when Morocco submitted enough signatures for an argument5. The town tried again in 1900 after a new state law moved the petition process to the ballot box. Unfortunately, the Moroccans failed to receive enough votes again.
The frame courthouse in Kentland was aging as Brook tried to wrest the seat one more time in 1900. A new group from Goodland threw their hat in the ring that year and, surprisingly, won enough votes to move the county seat! The Indiana Supreme Court mandated that a new courthouse be erected there in 1903, but Kentland’s appeal determined that the law was unconstitutional.
Kentland has remained the seat of Newton County ever since. At least it was when I visited in 2016! Unfortunately, the frame courthouse was worn out. Satisfied with the permance of the county, officials built a replacement in 1906. It’s still in service.
The courthouse rises three stories above the town square in Kentland. The building’s primary front faces west and features a wide central bay that projects from the rest of the structure and features arched windows that light the top floor6. A simple triangular pediment caps the main face.
The building’s east facade is similar to the west front but has less ornamentation- there’s no columned entrance or parapet to be found. The north and south sides are functional. Overall, the courthouse features a Neoclassical design with Beaux Arts and Renaissance Revival influences here and there.
Inside, the building retains window surrounds, doorways, counters, and staircases from its earliest days. It also features original vaults designed and installed by MacNeale and Urban of Cincinnati! Some have been repainted, but several remain in their original condition. Changes have been few: the courtroom was bifurcated in a 1989 project that added an elevator. In recent years, security stations have been added near the entry points.
Thanks to minor changes, the Newton County Courthouse remains very close to the original intent of the architects who designed it more than a century ago. Despite the county’s early infighting, the courthouse still stands ready to serve its constituents. A similar structure can be found in Putnam County, Ohio, but the Newtown County Courthouse in Kentland is a unique entry into the Hoosier State’s portfolio.
TL;DR
Newton County (pop. 14,087, 82/92)
Kentland (pop. 1,720).
Built: 1906
51/92 photographed
Cost: $34,855 ($927,000 in 2016)
Architect: Joseph T. Hutton
Style: Renaissance Revival
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 2.5 stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Sources Cited
1 ”Clinton Goodrich, Dewitt & Tuttle, Charles Richard. An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana [Indiana]. R.S. Peale & Co. Print.
2 “A Standard History of Jasper and Newton Counties, Indiana.” Lewis Publishing Company [Jasper County]. 1916. Print.
3 Vincent, Keith. Courthouse History. Web. Retrieved 2/15/21.
4 Enyart, David. “Newton County” Indiana County Courthouse Histories. ACPL Genealogy Center, 2010-2018. Web. Retrieved 2/15/21.
5 Ade, John. “Newton County” The Bobbs-Merrill Company [Indianapolis]. 1911. Print.
6 Indiana Landmarks (2013). Newton County. Indianapolis. Indiana Landmarks. Web. Retrieved 2/15/21.
