Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Parke County
Named for: Benjamin Parke - Territorial Representative to Congress
Organized: 1821
County Seat: Rockville, 1822
Number of Courthouses: 3
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1826-1829 | Log | |
| 2 | 1832-1879 | Coffee Mill | Builder: Mathew Stewart |
| 3 | 1882-Present | Castle | Arch: Thomas J. Tolan, $110,000. Original Builder W.H. Myers, bid $68,900, paid $58,836.07. Finished by Superintendant George W. Collings. Cornerstone 9/11/1879. Dedicated 2/22/1882 |
Armiesburg, and Roseville 1821-1822 were temporary County Seats.
Rockville was named County seat in 1822 but nothing was there until 1824.
The 1882 Courthouse is the first and smallest of three similar Courthouses built in Parke, Kosciusko, and Delaware Counties. The Parke and Kosciusko Courthouses were designed by Thomas J. Tolan, and Delaware County designed by Brentwood Tolan, the son of Thomas Tolan.
There are stones mounted on the 1882 courthouse that give the years 1879-1880, but these are incorrect. The clock and bell were added at a later time.
A fire in 1832 destroyed most of the county records but it was not in the courthouse.
The courthouse square includes memorials for the great wars, Korea, and Vietnam; as well as a WWII artillery piece.