Tag historic courthouse

The Fulton County, Indiana Courthouse (1896-)

Ted Shideler 5 Comments
Read time: 6 min.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest! Until the good is the better and the better is the best!” That cheerful motto was painted on the wall of the gym at Yorktown Elementary, but it never helped me conquer the president’s physical fitness tests for pull-ups. Two decades later, though, it became central to my understanding of three Indiana courthouses designed by A.W. and E.A. Rush. 

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The Gibson County, Indiana Courthouse (1884-)

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Read time: 6 min.

The Gibson County Courthouse in Princeton, Indiana, is the centerpiece of a quintessential small-town square. Folks at Department 56 -the ceramic Christmas village company- agreed, and modeled their 1989 “Original Snow Village Courthouse” after it1. The courthouse in Princeton may have reigned supreme on mantels and pie safes across middle America for thirty-five years, but the life-size building has been an Indiana landmark for a hundred and forty.

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The Decatur County, Indiana Courthouse (1860-)

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 5 min.

Erected in 1860, the Decatur County Courthouse is a remarkable relic of pre-Civil War architecture. It stands proudly as one of the few that old still serving Hoosier governments! Of course, what truly sets the courthouse apart is the peculiar sight that greets its visitors- a tree growing out of its clock tower.

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The Hancock County, Indiana Courthouse (1897-)

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Read time: 5 min.

The works of beloved poet James Whitcomb Riley -the folksy Hoosier who wrote “Little Orphan Annie,” “The Raggedy Man,” and “When the Frost is on the Punkin”- are considered by many to be timeless classics. As Greenfield’s favorite son, a statue of Riley stands ready to give his next reading in front of the monumental Hancock County Courthouse.

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The Martin County, Indiana Courthouse (1877-2002)

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Read time: 6 min.

Indiana’s earliest county governments frequently relocated, but officials in Martin County set the record. Between 1820 and 2004, the community changed county seats an astounding eleven times! Aside from the modern courthouse in Shoals, the 1877 Martin County Courthouse across the river is nearly all that remains of those early maneuverings. It’s a real landmark!

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The Ohio County Courthouse in Indiana (1845-)

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Read time: 6 min.

Here in Indiana, a typical county measures just over 389 square miles. Somehow, Ohio County only checks in at a measly eighty-six1. It’s not only the state’s smallest county, but it’s the tiniest in the entire nation! There, in Rising Sun, the oldest operating courthouse in the state administers justice to about 6,000 residents. 

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The Williams County, Ohio Courthouse (1891-)

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Read time: 5 min.

Many communities built landmark courthouses in response to newfound economic status. Money -or the prospect of it- burned a hole in their pockets! Occasionally, cities experienced the opposite when businesses rose to meet the status of their existing courthouse. Bryan, Ohio, was once such community. In Williams County, the area’s industry grew up under the watchful eye of its amazing courthouse.

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The Fountain County, Indiana Courthouse (1937-)

Ted Shideler 2 Comments
Read time: 5 min.

Art Deco architecture originated in France before World War I. To me, the style epitomizes luxury, glamour, and exuberance. Unfortunately, the Hoosier State isn’t known as a hotbed for it unless you go out of your way to, say, the Fountain County Courthouse in Covington. Stumbling across an Art Deco building in a rural town is surprising!

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The Clinton County, Indiana Courthouse (1884-)

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Read time: 5 min.

I work on the southeastern side of Anderson, Indiana. My commute takes me straight past the Madison County Government Center, built in 1972 to replace a landmark courthouse in the heart of downtown. It’s a striking structure, but my thoughts always turn to Clinton County as I pass. That’s because the old building’s twin still holds court in Frankfort.

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