Downtown Anderson, Indiana, lost a longstanding landmark in 1972 when its ninety-year-old courthouse was demolished. Its replacement couldn’t be more different! Fortunately, a small piece of George Bunting’s neoclassical masterpiece still endures- the building’s original cornerstone. Pointed towards the corner of 8th Street and Meridian, the block sits at the base of the modern Madison County Government Center. It’s impossible to miss!
It’s hard to believe, but Madison County has been home to five courthouses since it was formed in 1823. The first, a log structure in Pendleton, was a temporary building used for a single trial1. Daniel Harpold built a frame courthouse away from Anderson’s public square in 18322, then Nathan Crawford erected a brick courthouse copied from Noblesville’s in 18393. The third courthouse stood for forty-one years4 before George Bunting was hired to design a massive testament to Anderson’s growing prominence.
On August 17, 1882, Bruce Carr of the Free and Accepted Masons presided over Bunting’s cornerstone ceremony. The massive block, roughly five feet long and three feet tall, boasted intricate carvings evoking a bountiful harvest as a fitting symbol of prosperity for Madison County’s grand new courthouse. Once completed, the three-story building featured Corinthian pilasters, arched transoms, monumental stairways, and a clock tower that rose 165 feet into the sky5. All told, it cost $152,0006- a princely sum in those days.
The old Madison County Courthouse was a beloved landmark, and many still miss it today. Unfortunately, everything I’ve read says it had become outdated and overwhelmed by the early 1970s. Madison County had grown so much that many government offices no longer fit within the historic building and had to be relocated throughout town. Those that remained faced cramped and chaotic conditions. Employees of the assessor’s office may have had it the hardest: they worked from a third-floor stairwell! Others were squeezed into overcrowded alcoves as vital documents spilled into hallways6.
Unfortunately, the old courthouse wasn’t just overcrowded. It was a hazard! If a fire broke out, the only exit was the staircase used by the auditor’s office. Inside, exposed wiring, switchboxes, and electrical conduit overtook the building’s historic décor. Outside was even worse: the foundation had begun to pull away from the rest of the structure as plants defiantly sprouted from the widening cracks. Years earlier, a staggering mess of dead birds, scattered feathers, and piles of guano had effectively sealed away the building’s attic and clock tower7.
Whether or not the courthouse could have been saved, as many others were, is still debated. In the 1970s, places like Anderson, Clarksville, Logansport, Muncie, and New Albany fancied themselves as cities on the move and eager to embrace progress. Even though the modern Madison County Government Center echoes traditional architectural cues with its clocks, towers, and bells, it’s dramatically different from Bunting’s design. Anderson’s skyline was forever changed without a massive clock tower piercing the air, but we’re fortunate to have a tiny piece of that old building -its cornerstone- to provide a sip from the well of what once was.
Sources Cited
1 Enyart, David. “Clinton County” Indiana County Courthouse Histories. ACPL Genealogy Center, 2010-2019. Web. August 11, 2019.
2 Harden, S. (1874). HIstory of Madison County, Indiana, From 1820 to 1874. Samuel Harden [Markleville]. Book.
3 (See footnote 1).
4 (See footnote 1).
5 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Anderson, Madison County, Indiana (1950). The Sanborn Map Company. Web. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
6 Isn’t it time you did something about your Madison County Courthouse?” The Anderson Herald [Anderson]. February 24, 1966: 10. Print
7 “County Attorney Answers Questions On Dilemma At The Courthouse” The Anderson Herald [Anderson]. June 3, 1969: 1. Print.
It sounds like Madison County’s courthouse was the victim of poor maintenance too. I am amazed at these counties that never thought to build an annex/government building and to keep the courthouse too. But when you have let it deteriorate I suppose everyone wanted to be in the shiny modern new space. I’ve been in the new building – it’s depressing.
From what I’ve come to understand, nearly all of the old courthouses that have been replaced hereabouts were pretty ramshackle by the time the reaper came. Except maybe for White County’s. Have you been to the Clinton County Courthouse? It’s basically the fraternal twin to Anderson’s old one and probably offers and idea of what it would have been like today.
It’s been quite awhile, but it seems to have held up better.