Vincennes was the first territorial capital of Indiana. William Henry Harrison, territorial governor, and future president, was a pervasive presence in the city’s politics, and residents of the Indiana Territory wanted to get away from him. In 1813, the capital was moved to Corydon, a prominent stop on the road to Vincennes1.
Continue reading “The Harrison County, Indiana Courthouse (1929-)”
Unless you live nearby, you’ve got to be a real Indiana courthouse fan to make it down to Mt. Vernon: at 249 miles south of Muncie, Posey County features Indiana’s farthest courthouse from my home by a wide margin! It’s hard to believe, but Mt. Vernon sits about as close to Indianapolis as it does to the Arkansas state line. God help me if I ever wear out the county courthouses of the Midwest and start going to Arkansas!
Continue reading “The Posey County, Indiana Courthouse (1876-)”
I’m a contrarian: despite my love of historic county courthouses, I like most of the modern courthouses I’ve been to. Without newer courthouses, we wouldn’t know how to properly value their predecessors! The best of both worlds can be found in Scott County, Indiana, where the courthouse bridges the gap as a mix of two eras thanks to an expansive addition that makes it a unique hybrid of historic and modern constructs.
Continue reading “The Scott County Courthouse in Indiana (1873/1997-)”
Although it’s home to the second-most annual murders per 10,000 residents of any city in the United States1, Gary, Indiana, has made strides to overcome its national reputation as a dangerous place over the past few decades. Case in point: it used to be ranked first2! Despite its perceived standing, visitors brave enough to check out the area of Broadway between Fourth and Fifth Avenues will find a sweet old courthouse in the middle of a downtown that’s slowly on the upswing3.
Continue reading “The Lake County, Indiana Courthouse in Gary (1929-)”
When Warren County’s thirty-five-year-old courthouse burned down in 1907, officials instructed architect J.W. Royer to use what remained of its foundation and retaining walls to minimize the project’s building costs. It’s no wonder commissioners preferred to use what was left over- adjacent to the Illinois state line, Warren County is a small and rural place. In 1907, there weren’t many citizens to tax for a new courthouse!
Continue reading “The Warren County, Indiana Courthouse (1908-)”
Commissioners in Union County, Ohio -named so due to its formation from segments of Franklin, Delaware, Logan, and Madison counties- chose Toledo architect David W. Gibbs to design the original iteration of the current courthouse. Gibbs was one of Ohio’s most prolific architects of public buildings, and he designed five courthouses in the state, along with two more in Michigan.
Continue reading “The Union County, Ohio Courthouse (1883-)”
Morgan County is all about the mineral water. In 1887 workers hit it while drilling for gas just east of downtown Martinsville. Their exasperation soon turned to optimism when scientists tested the stuff- in their view, it had healing properties! Although the last sanitarium closed in 19711, reminders of the area’s heritage are easy to find. Some aren’t pleasant, but the Morgan County Courthouse has stood as a silent witness to them all for a very long time.
Continue reading “The Morgan County, Indiana Courthouse (1859-)”
Here’s some advice for all of you could-be courthouse contractors: although top-loading a house with roofing materials may be fine for a suburban ranch, try it at your peril while renovating an old courthouse. You’d hate to suffer the same fate our neighbors down in Brookville did back in 1877!
Continue reading “The Franklin County, Indiana Courthouse (1852/1877/1912-)”
The Defiance County Courthouse was built in 1873. It spent eighty-five years as one of Ohio’s finest Second Empire structures before an unfortunate renovation turned it into the most hysterically ugly building I’ve ever seen. In 2016, it was renovated in a process that borrowed elements from both iterations to give the building a new lease on life.
Continue reading “The Defiance County, Ohio Courthouse (1873-)”
You wouldn’t know it from all the cornfields, but Indiana is slowly turning into a suburban state. From 2015 to 2050, STATS Indiana projects that only 19 of our 92 counties will increase in population by more than 10%. Fourteen more will see population increases of up to 10%, and most are next to Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville1. Unfortunately, rural places like Jay County are projected to decline. That’s a shame since its county seat, Portland, is home to a fantastic courthouse.
Continue reading “The Jay County, Indiana Courthouse (1916-)”