Madison, Indiana, was established in 1809 on a plateau at the Ohio River. The town was a busy port that accommodated heavy river traffic, and it even gained fame as a major stop on the underground railroad1. Madison thrives even today, and a classic courthouse anchors the hustle and bustle.
Continue reading “The Jefferson County, Indiana Courthouse (1855-)”
More than any other, the 1816 Harrison County Courthouse in Corydon defines the spirit of Indiana’s earliest governmental buildings. That’s because it was one! The 40×40 foot stone structure served as the courthouse from 1816 to 1921, but it’s more famous for its nine-year tenure as the state’s first capitol1.
Continue reading “The Harrison County, Indiana Courthouse (1816-1921)”
Nashville, Indiana, is a charming town home to a vibrant arts and crafts community. Nestled in the hills of southern Indiana, the place attracts visitors from across the region, particularly when the leaves change color. It’s a place where the past and present coexist, and the 150-year-old Brown County Courthouse stands at the center of it all.
Continue reading “The Brown County, Indiana Courthouse (1873-)”
In 1921, residents of Spencer County were proud of their new courthouse. The Rockport Journal proclaimed it would be “a thing of beauty and a joy, if not forever, at least for a hundred years1!” Forty-two courthouses across the state have come and gone since then, but the paper’s prediction was prescient: In 2021, the Spencer County Courthouse celebrated its centennial.
Continue reading “The Spencer County Courthouse in Indiana (1921-)”
Columbus is home to a superb collection of remarkable architecture- it almost has to be to live up to its nickname, “the Athens of the Prairie!” Standout architects like I.M. Pei, Elder and Eero Saarinen, Kevin Roche, and Harry Weese all contributed to the city’s inventive skyline, but Isaac Hodgson got there first: His Bartholomew County Courthouse was hailed as the “finest in the West1” when it was completed in 1874.
Continue reading “The Bartholomew County, Indiana Courthouse (1874-)”
As a kid, the courthouses I liked the most all featured a landmark clock tower. They contrasted the concrete box officials plopped into my hometown during the space race! Around two-thirds of Indiana counties have a historic courthouse with a clock tower1, but the first to really upend the tea table for young me was DeKalb County’s in Auburn. It doesn’t feature a tower or cupola, but it became an early favorite nonetheless.
Continue reading “The DeKalb County, Indiana Courthouse (1914-)”
My parents divorced when I was three. Money was tight, but my mom sacrificed to shield us from knowing we were poor. One time, she found the funds to take my siblings and me on a day trip to the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville. I fell in love with the old Vanderburgh County Courthouse that day. It was the first historic courthouse I ever set foot in, and I was blown away! I felt the same when I visited again twenty years later.
Continue reading “The Vanderburgh County, Indiana Courthouse (1891-1969)”
Not many know it, but future president Abraham Lincoln studied law in Boonville, Indiana. In those days, the Lincoln family homestead was considered part of Warrick County, and Lincoln often walked the twenty-mile trip from his childhood home to study the law and watch local attorneys practice in a succession of poorly-built wooden courthouses. If he’d lived to be a hundred, Honest Abe would have found a real gem.
Continue reading “The Warrick County, Indiana Courthouse (1906-)”
For some counties, one courthouse just isn’t enough. Although rare elsewhere around Indiana, satellite courthouses are common in the area known as The Region, home to 12% of the state’s population1. In my experience, secondary courthouses tend to be boring, modern structures. Thankfully, the LaPorte County Superior Courthouse in Michigan City is a delightful exception to the rule. It’s old!
Continue reading “The LaPorte County, Indiana Courthouse (1909-)”
A lot of historic courthouses were designed in a style I call “American Exuberance.” In the pioneer days, courthouses functional buildings built without any frills. Influences came flooding in from all over after the Civil War, though, and architects mashed them all up into fanciful concoctions. That’s American Exuberance, and the Van Wert County Courthouse in Ohio is a singular example of it.
Continue reading “The Van Wert County, Ohio Courthouse (1876-)”