By David Enyart
Types of Courthouses
Architects
County Seat Confusion
County Seat Moves
Fires and Tornadoes
This project provides a chronological list of Indiana Courthouses by county. The primary goal is to list all known courthouses and give an idea of the magnitude of each. The document is not intended to provide great detail on each courthouse or to make any kind of architectural statement or judgment.
When a new county was created, state law required that a courthouse and jail be built within a year. This often led to the hurried construction of very simple and not very durable wood structures. Due to a lack of county funds and if a reasonable rented facility could be located the first courthouses was often not built for several years after county organization.
Early trials and commissioners courts were held in a great number of log and frame structures that were not really courthouses. Structures that were not owned by the county and dedicated to county legal functions are considered meeting houses of convenience and not tracked in this document. There were also many rented or borrowed locations that were utilized between courthouses and these are also not documented herein. There are probably one to two hundred such locations that can be identified in the early history of Indiana Counties and many more that cannot. As new county seats were created in the wilderness, few structures of any kind existed in the area so meetings and courts were held at such locations as residences of county officers, a centrally located cabin with a willing host, saloons, or a structure provided to the county by town proprietors as part of an agreement to gain the county seat. When a new county was authorized by the state, a meeting location for the first public business was always defined in some such location.
Accompanying many of the early courthouses was a separate office building for the county officers. An attempt to consolidate all county functions into a single building occurred during the great courthouse building period (1849-1930). These structures often included the jail and the school superintendent's office as well the county officers. In some instances the Sheriff's residence was also included because for some period of time Indiana State law required the sheriff to live in the jail; this is no longer the case. Today, every county has found a need for space beyond the capacity of their courthouse. Every county has a separate jail and one or more annexes to house all the necessary county functions, none of which are documented herein.
The classic courthouse as we think of it is beginning to disappear in Indiana as the concept becomes obsolete. Counties are now building judicial centers and county office buildings. During this transition some of the old courthouses act as either the office building or the judicial center, but not both. In some cases the new judicial centers are incorporated with the jails.
Many sources of information have been reviewed for relevant courthouse information. These sources are often in conflict, and the majority of the effort of this document was to resolve those conflicts. The reader will find much relevant information missing where a good source has yet to be found and in some cases where the original county records no longer exist. Some information deemed worthy of inclusion is followed by a question mark where there is a question of its veracity.
Some of the data is entered in a cryptic manner in an effort to limit each county to a single page.
A summary of the courthouse work done by architects that were known to be involved in more than one Indiana Courthouse is also provided.
A simple typing system is included to segregate the architectural significance of the various structures. Many of the early courthouses are only of historical importance, but it was felt necessary to account for every known structure to guarantee that all of historic, structural, or architectural significance are identified. Segregation of courthouses into the groups of brick, coffee mill, stylized, and castle was done at the author's discretion and legitimately subject to debate.
Types
- Log - Log courthouses were often the first type of courthouse built in a county. They were built as temporary structures until the county could afford a more substantial courthouse. Indiana law required that new counties provide a courthouse and jail within a year of creation and new county finances were often such that even building this type structure was a financial stretch. They were one and a half or two stories in height, provided up to 1000 square feet of usable space, and cost $200 to $400. They were usually not built on the town square so as not to interfere with construction of a substantial courthouse that was to be contracted within a few years after the log temporary. There were about 44 of these courthouses built in Indiana. The only surviving structure is a courthouse built in Salisbury, the first county seat of Wayne County, in 1811 and now located in Centreville (Centerville), which was also a county seat of Wayne County.
- Frame - Wood frame courthouses were built as first or second courthouses instead of log if the county could afford them. The cost of this type structure was usually about $2000. Many counties built wooden courthouses but supplemented them with separate brick office buildings for the county offices and records. There were about 42 of these structures built in Indiana, a few of them with some architectural styling. Usually meant to be temporary, a frame structure was utilized in Newton County for 45 years. The only known survivor of this type is in Whitley County where their 1841 courthouse was moved from the town square when it was replaced and is now a private residence.
- Brick - This designation is for simple brick courthouses meant to be permanent and built by local artisans. They were usually built on the town square but were of no particular architectural significance. They were two-story with total square footage of about 2000 to 3000 and cost $3000 to $5000. Many of these structures took several years to build because the county could not raise enough money to pay the contractors in a timely manner. A few later structures have been put in this category merely because they fit in no other. Most of these structures did not stand long because they were soon outgrown or the workmanship was poor. They were often supplemented by separate office buildings. There were about 32 of these courthouses built in Indiana. Brown County still utilizes this type of structure.
- Coffee Mill - This designation is for many Counties' first substantial Courthouse. They were all brick, two-story, square or occasionally rectangular buildings with a four-sided hip roof and a copula in the middle. They ranged from 32 to 55 feet on a side, but most were 40 x 40, providing about 3000 square feet of usable space. There were about 48 of these courthouses built in Indiana. The first State Capitol at Corydon, the Rome Courthouse in Perry County, and a courthouse in Wilmington in Dearborn County are the only three structures of this type that survive. The Coffee Mill term was borrowed from David Hermansen, a Ball State University professor. This category was separated from simple brick because so many of them were built. An octagonal courthouse built in Madison in Jefferson County in 1823 is included in this grouping. This was a dominant form utilized from about 1813 to 1845.
- Stylized - This type designation is for the next generation of Courthouses. They were brick or stone, 2-story rectangles and ranged from 40 x 40 feet to 60 x80 feet in dimension. These were substantial structures and had some architectural treatment. Three counties still use this type of courthouse; Steuben, Orange, and Ohio Counties, as their primary courthouse and Saint Joseph as their secondary. Another example still stands in Martin County and is used by their Historical Society. There were about 40 of these courthouses built in Indiana; the first was probably in Clinton County at Frankfort, designed and built by John Elder in 1838. Photographs of all of these courthouses exist except for the 1850 Johnson County Courthouse that burned in 1874. This courthouse was designed by John Elder and built by Edwin May, so the lack of any information of its appearance has to be a disappointment to anyone interested in the evolution of Indiana Courthouse architecture.
- Castle - This type includes all architecturally significant Courthouses built during the great Courthouse building period of 1849-1937 and includes many that have been replaced with even more significant structures. The first such courthouse to appear is considered herein to be the 1849 Fayette County Courthouse in Connersville designed and built by John Elder. This structure is still being utilized but its appearance was converted from Colonial to Romanesque in1890. There were 111 of these courthouses built in Indiana of which 84 survive in 2010.
- Modern - This type includes all courthouses built post WWII, a total of seventeen. Nine courthouses were voluntarily replaced 1959-1978; Cass, Clark, Crawford, Delaware, Floyd, Lake, Madison, Marion, and Vanderburgh; and White County's Courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1974 forcing a modern structure. Perry County relocated their county seat and moved to a new courthouse in Tell City in 1994, Scott County expanded their courthouse in 1997 to such an extent as to create a new courthouse, a second modern courthouse was built in Crawford County in 2003 as the town of English was relocated, and Martin County moved to a converted bank building in 2003. Superior Courthouses were built in Hammond, Portage, and Elkhart in the 1970's.
Indiana Courthouse Architects
There have been at least twenty architects that have designed two or more Indiana Courthouses. The work of each is summarized here in the order of time period in which they were active.
John Elder
John Elder designed at least four Indiana Courthouses:
- Frankfort in Clinton County completed in 1838
- Columbus in Bartholomew County completed in 1839
- Rushville in Rush County completed in 1848
- Connersville in Fayette County completed in 1849- this structure evolved into a totally different appearing courthouse
A reference exists in the Elder family papers in the Indiana Historical Society that Elder designed a courthouse in Lebanon in 1840, but the author believes that he actually designed a private residence there and the reference is mistaken. That courthouse was of Coffee Mill design and was not built to the standards associated with Elder.
The 1850 Johnson County Courthouse was built by Edwin May to plans supplied by John Elder but no technical information or images of this structure exist.
Elder won at least the Frankfort courthouse contract because he was the low construction bidder.
Elder fled the state in 1850 or 1851 to escape creditors pursuing him as a result of poor financial management on the Rushville courthouse.
John VanOsdel
VanOsdel is known to have designed Greek Revival Courthouses in La Porte in La Porte County completed in 1849 (now replaced) and South Bend in Saint Joseph County completed in 1855. He may also have designed the Valparaiso Courthouse in Porter County completed in 1853 (now replaced) which was similar to the La Porte Courthouse. The South Bend Courthouse is still being used as a secondary Courthouse. VanOsdel was from Chicago and might be credited with bringing Chicago out of the log cabin era with his designs there.
Edwin May
Edwin May was a prolific Indiana architect credited not only with many Indiana Courthouses but also with a great number of jails, the Indiana State Capitol building, the state prison in Michigan City, Purdue Hall at Purdue University, and several school buildings. Edwin May is known to have designed the following Indiana Courthouses:
- Sullivan in Sullivan County completed in 1851 - this courthouse evolved into another larger structure in 1872 - replaced
- Brookville in Franklin County completed in 1852 - this courthouse has evolved into a totally different appearance.
- Liberty in Union County completed in 1856 - replaced
- Shelbyville in Shelby County completed in 1856 - the roofline on this structure was replaced in 1878 - replaced
- Greenfield in Hancock County completed in 1856 - A simple May design - replaced
- Greensburg in Decatur County built from 1854-1860 - tree in the tower
- Fort Wayne in Allen County completed in 1861 - May was not the construction architect - replaced
- Vincennes in Knox County completed in 1876
- Noblesville in Hamilton County completed in 1879 - May was fired and this courthouse was finished by J.C. Johnson
In addition to the above courthouses: 10. May was the builder of the Franklin Courthouse in Johnson County completed in 1850 - burned 1874 John Elder provided the plan for this courthouse. It may also have been that May was the builder as well as designer of one or more of his other early courthouses.
Isaac Hodgson
Hodgson designed eight Indiana Courthouses:
- Peru in Miami County completed in 1858 - Norman - replaced
- Martinsville in Morgan County completed in 1859 - Italianate
- Covington in Fountain County completed in 1859 - Norman - replaced
- Vernon in Jennings County completed in 1861 - Italianate
- Danville in Hendricks County completed in 1862 - Norman - replaced
- Newcastle in Henry County completed in 1869 - Large entrance tower
- Columbus in Bartholomew County completed in 1874 - Unique
- Indianapolis in Marion County completed in 1876 - Monstrous $1.5M - replaced
The Martinsville and Vernon Courthouses are of the same design.
David Dubach
Dubach designed the 1855 Jefferson County Courthouse in Madison. His design was borrowed and duplicated in Switzerland County in 1864 but Dubach was not part of the construction process.
Martin J. McBird
McBird designed two Indiana Courthouses: Carroll County 1859 and Pulaski County 1861. Bird later became the university architect at the University of Nebraska.
Gordon Randall
Randall designed three Indiana Courthouses:
- Plymouth in Marshal County completed in 1872 - First County Capitol style built in Indiana.
- Williamsport in Warren County completed in 1872 - The Williamsport Courthouse was deconstructed in 1886 and rebuilt in another location in 1888. It was destroyed by fire in 1908.
- Fowler in Benton County completed in late 1874. The Fowler Courthouse has had its front tower reduced and rebuilt. There is a lot of intrigue and unknowns associated with the construction of this courthouse and the simultaneous count seat move.
J.C. Johnson
Johnson designed two Indiana Courthouses; Adams County in Decatur 1873, and Randolph County in Winchester in 1877. He also finished the Hamilton County Courthouse in Noblesville in 1879 that was designed by Edwin May after May was fired as the construction architect. The two Johnson designed courthouses were copied after an 1872 courthouse in Defiance, Ohio. It appears when building the Indiana Courthouses, Johnson moved the tower from the front to the center to create a County Capitol style courthouse but he did not redesign the structures to account for the tower move. As a consequence the Adam's County tower was unstable and was rebuilt on the front in 1900 with a design by Wing and Mahuran of Fort Wayne. The entire roof line of the Randolph County Courthouse was removed in the early 1950's.
George Bunting
Bunting designed eight Indiana Courthouses:
- Crawfordsville in Montgomery County completed in 1876 - Large Entrance tower - tower removed
- Washington in Davies County completed in 1879 - destroyed by fire in 1927
- Franklin in Johnson County completed in 1882 - County Capitol
- Frankfort in Clinton County completed in 1884 - County Capitol - stairs removed
- Anderson in Madison County completed in 1885 - replaced
- Bloomfield in Greene County completed in 1886 - roofline removed 1952
- Liberty in Union County completed in 1891 - Romanesque - tower rebuilt immediately
- Bluffton in Wells County completed in 1891 - Romanesque
Bunting designed several courthouses in other states as well as many other Indiana structures.
T.J. Tolan
T.J Tolan designed three Second Empire Indiana Courthouses.
- Lagrange in Lagrange County completed in 1879
- Rockfield in Parke County completed in 1882
- Warsaw in Kosciusko County completed in 1884
Tolan named his son Brentwood chief draftsman on the Warsaw Courthouse replacing George Wing. Tolan died in 1883.
T.J Tolan designed at least four other Courthouses as well as over 20 jails and many other public structures and churches.
- Van Wert County Ohio - Van Wert completed in 1876
- Davis County Iowa - Bloomfield completed in 1878
- Clark County Ohio - Springfield
- Henry County Illinois - Cambridge completed in 1883-4?
Brentwood Tolan
After assisting his father on three Indiana Courthouses and at least four others in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, Brentwood went on to design four additional Indiana Courthouses.
- Muncie in Delaware County completed in 1887 - Second Empire - replaced
- Columbia City in Whitley County completed in 1890 - Beaux Arts
- La Porte in La Porte County completed in 1894 - Romanesque
- Fort Wayne in Allen County completed in 1902 - Beaux Arts
The Fort Wayne Courthouse is one of the finest in the United States.
Wing & Mahuran
Wing and Mahuran designed two Romanesque courthouses both completed in 1898 in Knox in Starke County and Greenfield in Hancock County. They also designed a new tower for the Adams County Courthouse in Decatur in 1900.
George Wing was the chief draftsman for T.J. Tolan until he was replaced by Tolan's son Brentwood in 1881 during construction of the Warsaw Courthouse completed in 1884. Mahuran was a young draftsman with Tolan's firm.
Wing and Mahuran may have assisted Brentwood Tolan with the design and construction of the Fort Wayne Courthouse constructed 1897-1902. They also designed a house shared by Brentwood and his mother.
Mahuran & Mahuran
Mahuran and Mahuran designed the Bloomington Courthouse in Monroe County completed in 1908 and the Auburn Courthouse in Dekalb County completed in 1914. These courthouses represent two of the finest in Indiana. This firm also designed the Superior Courthouse in Michigan City completed in 1909.
The second Mahuran was a nephew of the first and a new firm was created after George Wing retired.
J.C. Cochrane
Cochrane designed two Indiana Courthouses in Lake County at Crown Point completed in 1881 and Porter County at Valparaiso completed in 1885. Others expanded the Crown Point Courthouse significantly but the original architecture was maintained. It was abandoned as a courthouse in 1971 but is maintained and presently used for other purposes. The Valparaiso Courthouse was gutted and fire in 1934 and rebuilt with an added floor but none of its original magnificent roofline.
Henry, Roy, & Kenneth McDonald
The McDonald brothers, from Louisville but better known for their work in Illinois, designed two Indiana Courthouses. The first was in Princeton in Gibson County completed in 1885 and is of County Capitol design. The second was built in Salem in Washington County complete in 1889 and is Richardsonian Romanesque. The Princeton Courthouse has a strikingly colorful appearance similar to the Johnson County Courthouse designed by George Bunting, and the Salem Courthouse is one of the more unique in Indiana. The McDonalds also provided remodeling plans for the Decatur County Courthouse work completed 1889-1890.
Labelle & French
Labelle and French designed two Indiana Courthouses in Monticello in White County and Hartford City in Blackford County. Both were completed in 1894. The Monticello Courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1974 and is the only Indiana Courthouse destroyed in that manner. Among other structures Labelle also designed Old Stony in Frankfort that is now the city building, but was originally a school.
Brothers A.W. & E.A. Rush
The Rush Brothers designed three Romanesque courthouses in Indiana:
- Winamac in Pulaski County completed in 1895
- Rochester in Fulton County completed in 1896
- Rushville in Rush County completed in 1898
John Gaddis
Gaddis designed three Classic Renaissance courthouses in Indiana:
- Greencastle in Putnam County completed in 1905
- Huntington in Huntington County completed in 1906
- Brazil in Clay County completed in 1914.
Joseph T. Hutton
Hutton designed Indiana Courthouses in:
- Kentland in Newton County completed in 1906
- Lebanon in Boone County completed in 1911. The Lebanon Courthouse is one of Indiana's premiere structures.
- The Hammond Superior Courthouse completed in 1903 or the Hammond Federal Courthouse?
- The Gary Superior Courthouse completed 1929; designed by the J.T. Hutton and Son Company.
Elmer Dunlap
Previous to designing three new courthouses Dunlap redesigned two others completely changing their appearance:
- Brownstown in Jackson County in 1911; originally dating from 1870
- Brookville in Franklin County in 1912; originally dating from 1852 and designed by Edwin May
Dunlap designed three Classical Revival courthouses in Indiana:
- Delphi in Carroll County completed in 1916
- Rockport in Spencer County completed in 1921
- Petersburg in Pike County completed in 1922. This Courthouse is constructed of brick and has Art Deco elements.
John Bayard
Bayard designed Classic Renaissance courthouses in
- Newport in Vermillion County completed in 1924.
- Sullivan in Sullivan County completed in 1926.
Walter Scholar
Scholar designed the 1929 Bedford Courthouse in Lawrence County and was the associate architect on the 1937 Fountain County Courthouse in Covington.
County Seat Confusion
County Seat | Is In |
Huntington | Huntington County |
Lagrange | Lagrange County |
La Porte | La Porte County |
Rushville | Rush County |
Scottsburg | Scott County |
Shelbyville | Shelby County |
Sullivan | Sullivan County |
Tipton | Tipton County |
Wabash | Wabash County |
County Seat | Is NOT In |
Brownstown | Brown County |
Boonville | Boone County |
Crawfordsville | Crawford County |
Decatur | Decatur County |
Franklin | Franklin County |
Greensburg | Greene County |
Greencastle | Greene County |
Greenfield | Greene County |
Jasper | Jasper County |
Jeffersonville | Jefferson County |
Knox | Knox County |
Lawrenceburg | Lawrence County |
Madison | Madison County |
Marion | Marion County |
Martinsville | Martin County |
Noblesville | Noble County |
Spencer | Spencer County |
Washington | Washington County |
County Seat Moves
There have been 30 major county seat moves in the various counties many of them quite pretentious with much ill feeling generated. There have also been 18 minor county seat moves that were usually early in a county's history and were executed when a selected location was quickly found to be unsuitable for a thriving town.
Many counties had temporary county seats that were never designated as the official seat but were merely locations for county organization meetings and were utilized only until a county seat could be located. At least 12 such locations have been identified in county history books as sites of the first courthouses, but these were merely temporary structures in which organization meetings were held and are not documented herein.
Fires & Tornados
There have been at least 42 documented fires in Indiana courthouses plus at least 2 fires in county office buildings that resulted in the loss of records. Of the 44 total fires 24 resulted in record loss and in 18 cases the loss was major. 26 courthouses were destroyed in these fires.
The White County Courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1974. The first White County Courthouse was destroyed by winds just previous to its completion. These are the only wind damaged courthouses uncovered in Indiana.