My home of Delaware County, Indiana, demolished its eighty-year-old courthouse in 1967. Fortunately, a two-hour drive is all it takes to satisfy a nostalgic craving for Muncie’s lost courthouse. Completed four years earlier, Kosciusko County’s in Warsaw is nearly identical! Architect Brentwood Tolan of Fort Wayne was responsible.

St. Joseph County, Indiana, boasts an impressive array of historic courthouses. Built in 1854, the oldest is one of Indiana’s few left from the days before the Civil War. The second is an impressive skyscraper done up in the International style so popular in the 1960s. Sandwiched between is the grandest of all, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1896. 

It’s always thrilling to stumble across a courthouse I’ve never seen before. A trip to Muncie, Illinois, a couple years ago led me to within arm’s reach of six! I planned my route in advance, but I deliberately avoided looking at photos of the courthouses- I wanted to be surprised, and boy, was I ever. I was gobsmacked by the Edgar County Courthouse in Paris. It’s one of the most unique in the Prairie State! Or so I thought.

From arch bridges to art deco theaters and impressive academic institutions, Coles County, Illinois, is home to twenty-one properties and districts enshrined in the National Register of Historic Places. They’re all intriguing sites, but the 125-year-old Coles County Courthouse rises above the rest.

Tiny Casey, Illinois, calls itself the “Small Town with a Big Heart.” The city is home to the world’s largest collection of, well, the world’s largest items. I-70 is awash with ads for enormous wind chimes, gargantuan golf tees, and ridiculous rocking chairs! As a matter of fact, the biggest gavel in the known universe sits twenty miles northeast at the Clark County Courthouse.

Many of the courthouses I’ve been to are dignified structures that command respect and solemnity. If massive columns, intricate stonework, and imposing statues weren’t enough, most sit on an expansive green festooned with cannons, war memorials, and commemorative plaques. It’s rare to stumble across an irreverent courthouse, but I got a good laugh at the one in Douglas County, Illinois!

Vincennes holds the distinction of being the oldest European settlement in Indiana¹. Established in 1732, nearly three centuries of history have blessed the city with a diverse collection of architectural treasures! Vincennes is home to grand mansions, historic monuments, and cathedrals, but one of its most prominent landmarks is the Knox County Courthouse.

Indiana’s earliest county seats were dynamic places that frequently relocated as local governments found their footing. Most changed seats once in a while, but none can hold a candle to Martin County. After the place was established, its seat moved nine times! Today, a modern courthouse in Shoals stands testament to the area’s tumultuous past.

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!

John Dillinger’s name is synonymous with the exploits of Depression-era gangsters. Born and bred in the heartland of Indiana, his daring bank robberies captured the country’s imagination! Believe it or not, the majestic Lake County Courthouse witnessed one of Dillinger’s most infamous escapades. Ninety years later, the old building remains one of Indiana’s finest architectural triumphs.