Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Jay County
Named for: John Jay - Secretary of State, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S., Governor of New York
Organized: 1836
County Seat: Portland
Number of Courthouses: 4
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1837-1842 | Log | Robert Huey; ordered 5/3/1837, Occupied 9/4/1837 $123.25 |
| 2 | 1842-1859 | Coffee Mill? | Lewis N. Byrum contracted for walls and roof November, 1839 $1750 |
| 3 | 1870-1915 | Stylized | $47,696.02. |
| 4 | 1919-Present | Castle | Arch: McLaughlin & Hulskin, $350,000-$400,000. Builder: Dawson Construction Co., Bid $238,000 |
Early Commissioner's courts met at the house of County Treasurer, Henry H. Cuppy. The first session occurred on April 17, 1837.
The 1919 Courthouse has no exterior clock. By this time courthouse clocks were no longer of the value they had been in the late 1800's.
The cost of the 1919 courthouse escalated due to construction inflation during WWI. It is quite likely that the problem bankrupted the construction company. The original contract was signed in 1915 at pre-war prices. This construction inflation problem was prevalent during and after both the Civil War and WWI. There were no Courthouses built during or shortly after WWII.