Folks in Danville, Indiana, seem proud of their courthouse,
and it was easy to see why when we toured the building during a recent visit.
We have a fondness for visiting vintage county courthouses
when we travel. The courthouses themselves are often beautiful architecturally,
but checking out the markers, monuments, fountains and public art that also
decorate many courthouses and their grounds is a great opportunity to learn a
little about a county's history and culture.
The current courthouse in Danville is actually the third to
stand on this particular plot of land.
The first courthouse at this site, the geographical center
of the county, was a one-story log building measuring 30 feet by 40 feet built
in 1826 for $147.
Improvements to that first building included adding brick
facing in 1831 and building an annex during the 1840s, but the county outgrew
the log building by the late 1850s.
The next courthouse was a Gothic-style building with a bell
tower and a 100-foot-tall observation tower built in the early 1860s at a cost
of $60,000.
This building cut an impressive presence, judging from
photos I've seen of it online, but the most spectacular impression it created
must have been its demolition in 1907.
Danville residents awoke with a start around 8:30 in the
morning of January 9, 1907 when a very loud crash rang through town.
The courthouse roof collapsed in on itself, rendering the
building unsafe and too costly to re pair.
Fortunately, there were no injuries as it was early enough
that no one was in the building, but the County Council quickly voted to
replace the damaged building.
Crowds gathered to watch the demolition of the building with
its two tall towers, and I suspect many people purchased some of the many
postcards issued to commemorate the event.
Indianapolis architect Clarence Martindale designed a
neoclassical-style building with traditional Greek and Roman architectural
elements like Doric columns, pilasters and pediments to serve as the new
courthouse.
Construction, using Indiana, or Bedford Oolitic, limestone and
the talents of many local farmers and craftspeople, started in 1912.
P.H. McCormack Co. of Columbus, Indiana, served as the
contractor and builder, and it cost $225,000 by completion of the project in
1914.
United States Vice President Thomas Marshall, an Indiana
Democrat who served under President Woodrow Wilson, spoke at Masonic ceremonies
for the laying of the building's cornerstone on May 29, 1913. The next White
House visitor Danville and the courthouse would see would be Republican
President Ronald Reagan, who spoke in the courthouse rotunda in 1987.
The exterior of the courthouse remains largely unchanged, and
an early 2000s renovation restored many of the interior's original elements
like woodwork, wall stencils, stained glass windows, light fixtures, brass
accents and faux finishes.
The building earned a place on the National Register of
Historic Places in 2002.
Court was in session when we visited the courthouse, so we
missed being able to see the large mural in the circuit court room commemorating
George Rogers Clark's 1779 Liberation of Vincennes. This victory led to weakening
of the British hold on the Northwest Territory. The Brits ceded the entire territory
to the Americans in 1783, and that land eventually became the states of
Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and the eastern portion of Minnesota.
The 4-foot 5-inch by 18-feet 8-inch painting on canvas is the
work of American muralist Edgar Alvin Payne. Payne specialized in subjects
depicting the American West and this 1914 work is the only known example still
existing of Payne's collaboration with his wife, and commercial artist, Elsie
Palmer Payne.
I found some information for this article in Danville
(Images of America) by Jeffrey K. Baldwin and the Hendricks County Historical
Society, which also has some interesting photos of the 1860s courthouse and
construction of the current courthouse.
Midwest courthouse fans might also like to check out
Michigan's County Courthouses by John Fedynsky.
Check out my story about classic courthouses in Elkhart
County, Indiana, and Gratiot County, Michigan.
Thanks to the Hendricks County Convention
and Visitors Bureau for sponsoring my
visit to Hendricks County, providing lodging, meals and a tour of Hendricks
County attractions for my review during my recent visit there, with no further
compensation. I was free to express my own opinions about the stay and
experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.
© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved
