Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Clay County
Named for: Henry Clay - "The Great Compromiser"
Organized: 1825
County Seat: Bowling Green 1825-1876
Brazil, 1876-
Number of Courthouses: 5
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1829-1839, Bowling Green | Log | Builder: Philip Hedges 24x30 Not on square |
| 2 | 1840-1851, Bowling Green | Brick | Builder: Dempsey Seybold 40x50 Destroyed by Fire 11/30/1851 - All records lost except those of the recorder |
| 3 | 1853-1876, Bowling Green | Brick | Simple brick with center spire 40x50 $11,000 Destroyed by lightning in 1910 |
| 4 | 1877-1912, Brazil | Stylized | Original Contractor Noah T. Keasy Contract transferred to John G. Ackelmire and John Andrew; Ackelmire claims to have lost money on this contract $13,300 |
| 5 | 1914-Present, Brazil | Castle | Arch & Supt: John W. Gaddis Builder: Bailey and Koener Cornerstone Fall 1912 $225,000 Dome restored and clocks added 1986 - Restored in 1998 ($1.5M) |
Bowling green was not platted and the town square located until 1829.
Several attempts were made to move the county seat to several different locations as early as 1837.
The 1853 courthouse was most likely a near duplicate of the 1840 courthouse.
John Gaddis designed three Indiana Courthouses 1905-1914, in Clay, Huntington, and Putnam Counties.
On the Courthouse lawn is a War Memorial, two Civil War cannons, and an F-86.