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Warren County Courthouse (Indiana)
Encyclopedia
The Warren County Courthouse is a stone building constructed in 1908 in Williamsport, Indiana
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 2008.
seat of Warrenton
, a log house owned (and occupied) by Enoch Farmer was used for general court and county purposes. When the county seat was moved to Williamsport, a log house belonging to the town's proprietor, William Harrison, served as the courthouse starting in July 1829. In 1832, plans were made for a new building, and in July of that year the construction bid was won by E. W. Jones and Seth Flowers. The new building was to be made of brick, 40 feet (12.2 m) square and 23 feet (7 m) high, and was to be completed by August 1833; but various problems delayed this until mid-1834. The cost of construction was about $2000. In 1835 the building was strengthened and improved.
In 1870 a specially-appointed committee determined that the old building was unsafe, and plans were begun to replace it; but opposition to the plan delayed progress until early 1871. The plans called for a new brick building to be constructed in what is now known as "Old Town", the original portion of Williamsport that was on the shores of the Wabash River. The firm of Hays and Evans of Bloomington, Illinois
was awarded the job with a bid of $48,400. The county did not have sufficient funds for the project, so $10,000 worth of county bonds were issued. The new courthouse was accepted in December 1872.
In 1886 it was torn down and rebuilt as the third courthouse on the current site, in the newer portion of town that had developed because of the railroad. This courthouse had a 155-foot tower. Early on the morning of Sunday, January 20, 1907, the building caught fire and was largely destroyed, though most of the records were saved.
The current courthouse was designed by J. W. Royer of Urbana
, Illinois
and was constructed by Frank Jahn of Champaign
, Illinois
and L. N. Cope of Decatur
, Illinois
at a cost of $115,000. Following the fire of January 1907, construction of the new building was under way by October, during the term of Governor Frank Hanly
. It was built primarily of stone, with stairs made of iron and marble. The county purchased two large brass cannons from the United States Government and placed them outside the building, where they still remain.
Williamsport, Indiana
Williamsport is a town in Washington Township, Warren County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,898 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County and is the largest of the four incorporated towns in the county...
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 2008.
History
At the first Warren CountyWarren County, Indiana
Warren County lies in western Indiana between the Illinois border and the Wabash River in the United States. Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1827 and...
seat of Warrenton
Warrenton, Indiana
Warrenton is an extinct town in Warren County, Indiana, and was Warren's original county seat.- History :Warrenton was selected as the Warren County seat in March 1828 by commissioners appointed under the act forming the county...
, a log house owned (and occupied) by Enoch Farmer was used for general court and county purposes. When the county seat was moved to Williamsport, a log house belonging to the town's proprietor, William Harrison, served as the courthouse starting in July 1829. In 1832, plans were made for a new building, and in July of that year the construction bid was won by E. W. Jones and Seth Flowers. The new building was to be made of brick, 40 feet (12.2 m) square and 23 feet (7 m) high, and was to be completed by August 1833; but various problems delayed this until mid-1834. The cost of construction was about $2000. In 1835 the building was strengthened and improved.
In 1870 a specially-appointed committee determined that the old building was unsafe, and plans were begun to replace it; but opposition to the plan delayed progress until early 1871. The plans called for a new brick building to be constructed in what is now known as "Old Town", the original portion of Williamsport that was on the shores of the Wabash River. The firm of Hays and Evans of Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
was awarded the job with a bid of $48,400. The county did not have sufficient funds for the project, so $10,000 worth of county bonds were issued. The new courthouse was accepted in December 1872.
In 1886 it was torn down and rebuilt as the third courthouse on the current site, in the newer portion of town that had developed because of the railroad. This courthouse had a 155-foot tower. Early on the morning of Sunday, January 20, 1907, the building caught fire and was largely destroyed, though most of the records were saved.
The current courthouse was designed by J. W. Royer of Urbana
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and was constructed by Frank Jahn of Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and L. N. Cope of Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
at a cost of $115,000. Following the fire of January 1907, construction of the new building was under way by October, during the term of Governor Frank Hanly
Frank Hanly
James Franklin Hanly was a United States politician who served as a congressman from Indiana from 1895 until 1897, and was the 26th Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909...
. It was built primarily of stone, with stairs made of iron and marble. The county purchased two large brass cannons from the United States Government and placed them outside the building, where they still remain.
External links
- Photographs of the Warren County Courthouse from the Ball State University Digital Media Repository