CourthouseSquares

For those of us who travel the state frequently, it’s no secret the our county courthouses and their adjacent squares exhibit some of the best architecture in the Midwest. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the county seats in all 92 counties constructed some of the most magnificent monuments to the local rule of law. Of the 92 counties, over 80 have retained their historic courthouses, the rest having been lost to natural disasters, or neglect.

Recognizing their symbolic and cultural importance, some communities have retained their original historic structures (such as St. Joseph County) and built new buildings to accommodate their needs. Other communities (like Perry County) built new courthouses as the moved county seats; first from Rome, then to Cannelton, and finally to Tell City. There is a courthouse in each of these communities, but only one serves as the official seat of government.

In 2008, Governor Mitch Daniels signed Senate Bill 176, which created the Indiana Courthouse Preservation Advisory Committee. In 2011, they published this report.

In the report, the committee found that the county courthouses serve as part of Indiana’s symbolic identity, that the courthouses can serve as a component of state tourism, and that the squares can be part of local community development.

In 2013, I received a grant from Ball State University to photograph all 92 Indiana’s historic county courthouses and their adjacent squares. I’ve included a photo of each courthouse below, but if you are interested in seeing the full set with more information, visit: indianacourthousesquare.org.


Whitley County Whitley County

White County White County

Wells County Wells County

Wayne County Wayne County

Washington County Washington County

Warrick County Warrick County

Warren County Warren County

Wabash County Wabash County

Vigo County Vigo County

Vermillion County Vermillion County

Historic Courthouse Vanderburgh County Historic Courthouse Vanderburgh County

Union County Union County

Tipton County Tipton County

Tippecanoe County Tippecanoe County

Switzerland County Switzerland County

Sullivan County Sullivan County

Current Courthouse - St. Joseph County Current Courthouse - St. Joseph County

First Historic Courthouse - St. Joseph County First Historic Courthouse - St. Joseph County

Second Historic Courthouse - St. Joseph County Second Historic Courthouse - St. Joseph County

Steuben County Steuben County

Starke County Starke County

Spencer County Spencer County

Shelby County Shelby County

Scott County Scott County

Rush County Rush County

Ripley County Ripley County

Randolph County Randolph County

Putnam County Putnam County

Pulaski County Pulaski County

Posey County Posey County

Porter County Porter County

Pike County Pike County

First Courthouse in Perry County (Rome) First Courthouse in Perry County (Rome)

Second Historic Courthouse in Perry County (Cannelton) Second Historic Courthouse in Perry County (Cannelton)

Current Courthouse in Perry County (Tell City) Current Courthouse in Perry County (Tell City)

Parke County Parke County

Owen County Owen County

Orange County Orange County

Ohio County Ohio County

Noble County Noble County

Newton County Newton County

Morgan County Morgan County

Montgomery County Montgomery County

Monroe County Monroe County

 

Miami County Miami County

Modern Courthouse Martin County Modern Courthouse Martin County

Historic Courthouse Martin County Historic Courthouse Martin County

Marshall County Marshall County

Marion County Marion County

Madison County Madison County

Lawrence County Lawrence County

LaPorte County LaPorte County

Lake County Lake County

LaGrange County LaGrange County

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County

Knox County Knox County

Johnson County Johnson County

Jennings County Jennings County

Jefferson County Jefferson County

Jay County Jay County

Jasper County Jasper County

Jackson County Jackson County

Huntington County Huntington County

Howard County Howard County

Henry County Henry County

Hendricks County Hendricks County

Harrison County Harrison County

Hancock County Hancock County

Hamilton County Hamilton County

Greene County Greene County

Grant County Grant County

Gibson County Gibson County

Fulton County Fulton County

Franklin County Franklin County

Fountain County Fountain County

Floyd County Floyd County

Fayette County Fayette County

Elkhart County Elkhart County

DuBois County DuBois County

Delaware County Delaware County

Dekalb County Dekalb County

Decatur County Decatur County

Dearborn County Dearborn County

Daviess County Daviess County

Crawford County Crawford County

Clinton County Clinton County

Clay County Clay County

Clark County Clark County

Cass County Cass County

Carroll County Carroll County

Brown County Brown County

Boone County Boone County

Blackford County Blackford County

Benton County Benton County

Bartholomew County Bartholomew County

Allen County Allen County

Adams County Adams County