Indiana County Courthouse Histories

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Henry County
Named for: Patrick Henry
Organized: 1822
County Seat: Newcastle, 1823
Number of Courthouses: 3

Number	Years	Type	Detail
1	1824-1834	Log	Builder: George Barnard, 5/14/1823 26x20 Occupied May 1824 $247
2	1836-1864	Coffee Mill	Design: Robert Murphy, $2.50. Ordered 1831. Builder: Nathan Crawford, Late 1831 Bid - $5315, Paid -$4500. Destroyed by Fire 2/13/1864 - Little loss of records
3	1869-Present	Castle	Arch: Isaac Hodgson 82x60 +19 for entrance. Supt. Morris F. Edwards, $120,000. Back half is an Addition. Accepted April, 1905, 68x60, $44,000. Contr. Patrick H. McCormack & Co.

Previous to the first courthouse, the commissioner's court met at the homes of Joseph Hobson, then Charles Jamison then John Smith. Between the second and third courthouses the county rented the Murphey Hall which was later occupied by the Elk's. Some county records were lost due to negligence during this time.

Note the relative costs of the two similar size sections of this courthouse. This disparity was due to the inflation of labor costs during and after the Civil War. This inflation caused delays or cancellation of many public works in the 1860's and probably private structures as well.

The courthouse square Civil War Monument was dedicated in 1923. The square also includes a WW-I, WW-II, Korea and Vietnam War Memorial.