At least six of Indiana’s historic courthouses lost their clock towers in the 20th century, but recent efforts successfully restored three. Jefferson County’s was replaced after a fire gutted the building1, and Randolph County’s returned as part of a renovation. The Montgomery County Courthouse received a new tower that I was very happy to contribute towards, but Washington County nearly bucked the trend. In 2018, the 130-foot clock tower was at risk of being lost for the second time!
Washington County was founded in 18142. The first courthouse, a 30×45 brick structure, was completed on Salem’s Lancaster Square two years later3. In 1829, commissioners replaced it with a larger, two-story structure with a central cupola4. That building lasted until 1885 when the present courthouse was built.
The current structure was Indiana’s first Romanesque Revival courthouse. Inspired by the architecture of medieval Europe, the style sought to evoke grandeur and solidity through features like rounded arches, soaring towers, decorative detailing, and stone walls. In fact, limestone used during construction came from a quarry just a mile out of town5.
Brothers Harry, Donald, & Kenneth McDonald of Louisville were responsible for the building’s design. The courthouse reaches two full stories above a raised basement and features windows that let light into the attic under a hipped roof. The main entrance, accessed from under a projecting porch, is the structure’s second-most distinctive feature. The first, of course, is its clock tower.
The tower rises a dramatic five stories from the southwest corner of the building in a succession of shapes like a limestone wedding cake. A rectangular third-story section is topped by an octagonal fourth story with six-foot clock faces. The fifth story, a cylinder, is capped by a conical roof. I’m pretty sure I designed the same clock tower with blocks when I was five!
The distinctive tower is unlike any other courthouse in Indiana. It represents a radical departure from the McDonald Brothers’ other courthouses, like the one in Princeton or the Decatur County Courthouse in Greensburg, which they extensively remodeled. It definitely doesn’t look like any of the firm’s other buildings in the rest of the Midwest.
Unfortunately, the structure’s unusual design caused several problems over the years. In 1934, the courthouse was struck by lightning that burnt the tower down to its internal brick. Firefighters battled the flames for three hours. Remarkably, the clocks continued to tick during the blaze, providing a timeline of the ordeal6!
The fire caused $5,000 in damages, twice what the courthouse was insured for, but the community rallied around their landmark and decided to fix it. The project was rushed, and water trapped in the stonework caused the tower to deteriorate. Although efforts to repair the structure again began as early as 19967, work was never started. The tower was unstable for years- a strong gust of wind could have sent it flying into downtown Salem! Indeed, the portion of the square underneath it was fenced off when I visited.
By 2016, there was little debate regarding whether the building, described by Washington County historian Jeremy Elliott as “the cherished centerpiece of the county” and a “beautiful limestone castle8” was worth saving. Unfortunately, resources were few and far between. Washington County is a rural place with depressing demographics.
In 1888, all it took to build a new courthouse was a touch of civic pride and a bond issue. Things weren’t so easy a hundred and thirty years later! It’d have probably been cheaper to decapitate the structure if the decision was up to the bean counters, but Indiana Landmarks jumped in to help out. In 2016, the organization added the Washington County Courthouse to its annual 10 Most Endangered list. It took two years, but commissioners finally took bids to stabilize the tower and repair the roof and masonry. A contract was secured in April 20189.
Officials designated Arsee Engineers of Fishers and Indianapolis architects RATIO to develop a list of necessary repairs. Once completed, General Restoration Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, was chosen to perform the restoration as part of a million-dollar project10. With a track record of restoring Indiana’s Allen, Elkhart, Gibson, and Wells County Courthouses, GRC’s involvement ensured Washington County was in capable hands.
The building’s second restoration opened up the floodgates. In 2018, officials commissioned RATIO to study how to make more efficient use of the 132-year-old courthouse11. What a huge win for preservationists! Although maintaining old buildings presents a variety of challenges, Hoosiers have consistently demonstrated their ability to overcome them. Historic courthouses like Washington County’s enrich the fabric of cities and towns across Indiana. I hope we continue to take pride in them for many years to come.
TL;DR
Washington County (pop. 28,289, 57/92)
Salem ( pop. 6,238)
79/92 photographed
Built: 1888, clocktower rebuilt in 1934 after fire.
Cost: $74,037 ($1.97 million in 2016)
Architect: H, K, & D. McDonald
Style: Richardson Romanesque
Courthouse Square: Lancaster Square
Height: 130 feet
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 4/3/2016- 79/92
Sources Cited
1 “Courthouse sustains heavy fire damage” The Madison Courier [Madison] May 21, 2009. Retrieved from https://madisoncourier.com.
2 Goodrich, D.C. & Tuttle, C.R. (1875). An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana. R.S. Peale & Company [New York]. Book.
3 Stevens, W. (1916). Centennial History of Washington County Indiana. B.F. Bowen & Company [Indianapolis].
4 Enyart, David. “Washington County” Indiana County Courthouse Histories. ACPL Genealogy Center, 2010-2019. Web. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
5 National Register of Historic Places, Washington County Courthouse, Salem, Washington County, Indiana, National Register # 80000047.
6 “Bolt Hits Tower of Courthouse” The Indianapolis News [Indianapolis] July 12, 1934: 15. Print.
7 “Money, not time, holds man from tower of dreams” The Courier-Journal [Louisville] March 10, 1996: 1B. Print.
8 Group tolls bell for ailing courthouse in Salem” The Courier-Journal [Louisville] April 28, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.courierjournal.com.
9 “Repairs Scheduled for Washington County Courthouse” Indiana Landmarks [Indianapolis]. April 16, 2018. Web. Retrieved 4/15/19.
10 (See footnote 9).
11 “Washington County Courthouse” Endangered No More: The places we’ve saved. Indiana Landmarks [Indianapolis]. Web. Retrieved 1/11/20.
