Indiana County Courthouse Histories
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Saint Joseph County
Named for: Saint Joseph River - ergo the Christian Saint
Organized: 1830
County Seat: Saint Joseph 1830-1831
South Bend, 1831
Number of Courthouses: 3
| Number | Years | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1833-1854 | Coffee Mill | Builder: Peter Johnson 2/7/1832. 40x40. Addition 1838 20x40. $3,000. Partially Received 9/2/1833 - Completed 1837 |
| 2 | 1855-Present | Stylized | Arch: John Van Osdel of Vanosdel & Olmstead, 61.5x91.5, $35,000. Contracted by commissioners - Supt. A.B. Ellsworth. Ordered Sept. 1853. Occupied Sept. 1855. Still in use as secondary Courthouse 2010. |
| 3 | 1898-Present | Castle | Arch: Charles Allerton Coolidge, ~$250,000. Builder: James Stewart & Co. 10/31/1896, bid $184.246.27. Cornerstone 4/15/1897. Completed 11/4/1898. |
The town of Saint Joseph, located at the Portage of the St. Joseph and Kankakee Rivers was designated by the State Legislature as the first County seat, but the town never existed. A location two miles south of the center of South Bend may have been designated the county seat in May 1830. This is possible since South Bend was not fixed as the County seat until May 1831.
The first commissioner's courts met in the house of Alexis Coquillard which was near the designated county seat of St. Jopseph. The first court meeting for which record are preserved was held at Calvin Lilley's hotel bar in South Bend on 10/29/1832. Note: There is a dating problem in that the first courthouse is documented as having been contracted previous to this date.
John Van Osdel designed the 1855 Courthouse. Van Osdel also designed the 1849 La Porte Courthouse and possibly the 1853 Porter County Courthouse.
The Civil War monument was erected in 1903.