Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Jackson County
Named for: General Andrew Jackson - War of 1812 - Jackson became President of the U.S. in 1829
Organized: 1815
County Seat: Brownstown, 1816
Number of Courthouses: 5
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1816-1825 | Log/frame | Builder: John Ketchum 24x24 November 1816 - March 1825. Moved twice and used for a school, Methodist Church, and barn. |
| 2 | 1825-1834 | Brick | 40x40 single-story? Builder: William Crenshaw - in 1834 sued for payment of $1590. Crenshaw was not original contractor |
| 3 | 1835-1870 | Brick | Plans: Abel Findley Builder: Samuel Peck 48x32 Ordered March 1833 Received: September 1834 Wings added December 2, 1835 |
| 4 | 1872-1910 | Castle | Arch: David Bolen Plans accepted March 1870, $45,370. Builder: Travis Carter & Co., Bid $38,220 |
| 5 | 1911-Present | Castle | Arch: Elmer Dunlap Reconstruction and expansion of 1872 Courthouse. Bonds were issued in the amount of $65,000. Builder: Heinzmann Brothers. Occupied 5/19/1911 |
The first County meetings in 1815 for purposes of organization were in the temporary county seat of Vallonia. Vallonia was the site of a much earlier French settlement of trappers.
Some records refer to the 1835 courthouse as the fourth, but no definitive records of three previous courthouses have been found. This may be due to the loss of the first four years of official county records, but the three probably includes a temporary meeting location.
A fire in the clock tower of the 1911 Courthouse in 1959 required a rebuild and modification to its design. The brick on the present tower changes about half way up. The original wooden copula with flagpole on top of the tower was not rebuilt because when struck by lightning they caused the 1959 fire and there was a desire not to repeat the problem. There are also reports of courthouse fires in 1872 and 1881 but the extent is unknown.
Several efforts have been made to move the county seat to Seymour. The rebuild of the 1872 courthouse instead of construction of an entirely new courthouse could well have been done to minimize cost in an effort to suppress agitation for such a move.