Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Franklin County
Named for: Benjamin Franklin
Organized: 1811
County Seat: Brookville
Number of Courthouses: 4
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1812-1814 | Log | On town square |
| 2 | 1817-1852 | Coffee Mill | Arch: Aquilla Logan? Octagonal back 40x40; Builder: James Knight & Martin Jameson, $3000; Ordered 12/22/1814, Completed May 1817. Destroyed by fire 2/22/1852 but with no loss of records. |
| 3 | 1854-1910 | Castle | Arch: Edwin May June 1852, Contracted by the commissioners, $28,000. A new tower and roof was built in 1877 |
| 4 | 1912-Present | Castle | Arch: Elmer Dunlap, 2/24/1910 - Modification & expansion of 1852 courthouse, $96,000; Builder: I. W. Millikan, Accepted 11/15/1912, $71,300 |
First courts were held in the tavern of James Knight.
The core of the present Courthouse dates to 1852 and that date could be claimed, but typically the 1912 date is used.
Elmer Dunlap who designed the 1912 rebuild also designed courthouses in Carroll, Pike, and Spencer Counties designed as well as the rebuild of the Jackson County Courthouse completed in 1911.
When the new tower and roof were constructed in 1877 the old roof collapsed due to new material load and fell into the courtroom along with the construction workers while court was in session. No one was seriously injured.