Indiana County Courthouse Histories

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Vigo County
Named for: Colonel Francis Vigo - Patriot, spy, and financier to George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War
Organized: 1818
County Seat: Terre Haute
Number of Courthouses: 3

Number	Years	Type	Detail
1	1822-1866	Coffee Mill	Contracted by Commissioners, constructed 1818-1823. Torn down 1868. >$1050.
2	1865-1888	Office Building (See below)	Occupied 9/7/1866. $26,312.31.
3	1888-Present	Castle	Arch: Samuel Hannaford. 277x226. ~ $500,000. Builder: Terre Haute Stone Co., $433,189. Cornerstone 8/28/1884. Occupied 5/10/1888. Dedicated 6/7/1888. Refurbished 2006-2008, $13M.

Early county meetings were held in the homes of prominent local businessmen Truman Blackman and Curtis Gilbert.

Vigo County utilized a temporary Courthouse across the street from the Courthouse Square from 1866-1888. The building was constructed as a county office building but provided 'temporary' space for the courts while the 1822 courthouse was to be refurbished. Refurbishment proved impractical, so the Courts remained in this building for 22 years until the present Courthouse was completed in 1888.

The courthouse lawn contains several Veterans Memorials: Vigo Co. WW-I War Memorial, N/E Corner; Vigo Co. WW-II War Memorial, N/E Corner; Vigo Co. Civil War Memorial, N/E Corner; Korean War Memorial, S/E Corner; Vigo Co. Vietnam War Memorial, S/W Side; Vigo Co. Operation Iraqi Freedom War Memorial, S/E Corner. The Flag Bearer Monument was dedicated in 1910.