Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Howard County
Named for: General Tilghman Howard (Legislator and Statesman from Indiana - Was never in Military). Richardville (pronounce Rooshiaville) County 1844-1846 to honor Jean Baptiste Richardville, a chief of the Miami Indians.
Organized: 1844
County Seat: Kokomo
Number of Courthouses: 3
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1845-1854 | Log | Builder: Rufus L. Blowers 24x24 2-story Accepted December, 1845 $26 |
| 2 | 1870-1827 | Castle | Arch: M. Rumbaugh 82x80 $115,000 Superintended and subcontracted by the commissioners |
| 3 | 1937-Present | Castle | Arch: Oscar F. Cook Art Deco Dedicated 10/20/1937 $450,000 |
As can be seen by the dates, Howard County was without a Courthouse for two extensive periods of time.
Howard and Tipton Counties were the 89th and 90th Counties organized. They were the last two, 91st and 92nd, counties created from Indian Territory because the last Indian treaty to cede the land to Indiana was not signed until 1840. The treaty included all of Howard, much of Tipton and Miami, and parts of Wabash, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Grant, and Madison Counties.
The 1870 courthouse's construction was superintended by S.E Stratton who was also a county commissioner at the time. The prime contractor received $97,548.45 which was $21,351.55 more than the bid.
Little is known of M. Rumbaugh except he was paid $300 for architectural services on 6/18/1869. There is a Mr. Rumbaugh mentioned as a mentor to Brentwood Tolan but it is not known if this is the same person.
The 1937 Courthouse is one of 3 Art Deco Courthouses built in Indiana in the 1930's with some funding from the WPA. Only $29,000 of the $450,000 cost of this courthouse came from the WPA. This Courthouse utilizes stainless steel trim extensively. Kokomo is the home of Elwood Haynes who invented Stainless and most of the trim was manufactured in Kokomo by the Haynes Company. The other Art Deco Courthouses are in Fountain and Shelby Counties.
In April 1987 a bomb exploded in the courthouse sheriff's office. This was followed by a year's renovation at a cost of $1,000,000.