Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Madison County
Named for: James Madison - Fourth President
Organized: 1823
County Seat: Anderson 1827-
Number of Courthouses: 5
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1825, Pendleton | Log | 20x30. Temporary for a single trial - Federally funded. |
| 2 | 1832-1839, Anderson | Frame | Daniel Harpold 36x20 1-story. Not on Town Square. Contracted January 1831. Accepted January 1832 |
| 3 | 1839-1880, Anderson | Coffee Mill | 40x40 Copied from Noblesville. $5770. Builder: Nathan Crawford April 1837. Occupied October 1839. Destroyed by fire - Records Lost - arson |
| 4 | 1885-1972, Anderson | Castle | Arch: George Bunting 2/8/1882. Builder: McCormack & Sweeney 3/27/1882, bid $152,000. Cornerstone: 8/17/1882 |
| 5 | 1973-Present, Anderson | Modern | Arch: Johnson, Ritchart & Associates, $4M. 1983 Reconstruction $1.7M |
Pendleton was the temporary County Seat 1823-1827. Bedford may have been designated as the County Seat for a short time in 1827 but it never really existed and there was no courthouse.
A Courthouse was hurriedly built in Pendleton at federal expense for a major trial. Five white men massacred a family of nine or ten Seneca Indians; two men, three women, and four or five children. Four of the men were tried for the crime and sentenced to hang. Three actually hung, the fourth was a minor and a son of one of the other defendants and had his sentence commuted by Governor Ray at the last moment as had been previously recommended by both the defense and prosecution.
Anderson was originally called Andersontown.
A log Courthouse was authorized in 1828 in Anderson but never built. The 1880 fire destroyed much courthouse history information.
The 1973 Courthouse had to have its exterior reconstructed in 1983? due to faulty construction material.