Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Benton County
Named for: Thomas H. Benton - U.S. Senator
Organized: 1840
County Seat: Milroy/Oxford, 1843-1874
Fowler, 1874
Number of Courthouses: 3
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1845-1855, Oxford | Frame | Builder: Francis Boynton 20x30 2-story |
| 2 | 1856-1873, Oxford | Stylized | Builder: George Brown 50x80 $10,850 |
| 3 | 1874-Present, Fowler | Castle | Arch: Gordon P. Randall, Paid $3,032.91 Builder: Levi L. Leach, Contract June 1874, Accepted 12/30/1874, $54,884 $62,257.77 |
The town name of Milroy was found to be an Indiana duplicate so the name was changed to Hartford then Oxford.
The town square survives in Oxford. Only a drawing of the 1856 courthouse is known to exist, but a photograph was taken of the empty square in 1874. There is a War Memorial on this square.
The 1874 Courthouse was built with a large front tower that has been clipped and modified with a mansard roofline. An addition has been added to the rear. Fowler does not have a town square and the Courthouse is located a few blocks from downtown, supposedly at the exact center of the county.
Moses Fowler and Adams Earl (a relative of Fowler) founded Fowler, which is in the exact middle of the county, in 1871. Fowler owned 30,000 acres and Earl 6,000 acres in Benton County although neither lived there. Fowler made a direct contribution of $40,000 for courthouse construction contingent on a county seat move from Oxford to Fowler, and it is said the total cost of the courthouse was privately funded by Fowler, Earl, and perhaps others. The commissioners did not contract for the courthouse until June of 1874, but Moses Fowler was so adamant that the town of Fowler be the county seat that he may have privately contracted with architect Randall and builder Leach as early as 1873 or perhaps even 1872. The 1856 Oxford courthouse was determined unfit for use in 1873 after a review by architect Gordon Randall who may have already been hired to design the Fowler courthouse. The Courthouse was vacated and torn down within a month.
Moses Fowlers widow, Eliza Fowler was a significant benefactor to Purdue University. Fowler and John Purdue had been business partners for a period of time and were longtime friends.
Documented time line of events leading to the county seat removal and construction of the Fowler Courthouse:
Agitation for a county seat move began in 1873. This was driven significantly by the fact that the Commissioners were contemplating new county buildings in Oxford. Architect G.P Randall of Chicago was hired to evaluate the status of the existing courthouse and jail. Randall delivered a negative report to the commissioners on March 20, 1873. The commissioners thereby condemned the Oxford Courthouse in June, 1873 and immediately vacated. At this time the Auditor was ordered to procure plans and specifications for a new courthouse, to cost not less than $55,000, and the Sheriff was ordered to sell the existing courthouse.
In July, 1973 drafts, plans, and specifications for a courthouse were adopted as provided by G.P Randall & Co., of Chicago. The Auditor was ordered to advertise for sealed bids for construction of same with Randall acting as supervisor of construction. The Sheriff was ordered to tear down the old courthouse and sell the piles of materials, as the entire building had not yet been sold.
At the regular September, 1873 commissioner's court meeting, Moses Fowler, Adams Earl, and their wives presented to the commissioners deeds of land for lots in Fowler suitable for construction of a courthouse and jail. They also provided a petition for removal of the county seat to Fowler accompanied with $250; $100 to hire an architect, and $150 to evaluate the value of county property in Oxford. The deeds and money were withdrawn as the situation turned too political for full description herein. The deeds, petition, and $250 were as stipulated in state law as part of county seat removal process.
At a second September commissioner's meeting a contract for construction of an Oxford Courthouse was let to Isaac W. Lewis & John F. McDonnell for the sum of $55,000. This contract could not be executed at this time however, due to a legal injunction holding up any county construction. This action was followed by unintelligible commissioner's resignations, new commissioner's appointments and elections, and a lot of legal mumble jumble.
At the December, 1873 commissioner's court the county seat removal to Fowler was ordered, the Auditor was directed to reemploy architect Randall to create new courthouse plans, and the deeds and funds previously offered by Fowler, et.al. were reinstated.
In March, 1874 the value of county holdings in Oxford was valued at $6,750 and the commissioners accepted $40,000 for courthouse construction from Fowler and Earl. In June, 1874 a contract for $54,884 was let to Levi L. Leach for construction of the Fowler Courthouse according to plans provided by Gordon P. Randall.
In July, 1874 all county functions moved to temporary quarters in Fowler, and on December 30, 1874 the new courthouse was accepted.
Note: The author is not satisfied with the timeline associated with these events and intends to pursue the issue further. This is primarily because a courthouse of the magnitude of Benton County's typically took 24 to 30 months to complete and less than half that time is accounted for in the above timeline. A review of the commissioners' records confirms the 'official' timeline.