Historic Indiana Courthouses

The State of Indiana has 92 counties (in comparison, California has 58). Every one of those counties has a courthouse, and many date back well into the 1800s. The courthouse is often a town centerpiece, standing tall and surrounded by shops and local law offices. The architectural details in small-town courthouses can be astonishing. Masses of carved woodwork, ornate glass rotundas, and detailed brass fittings evidence pride and craftsmanship in their construction. Modern buildings can have their own beauty—the Indianapolis-Marion County Justice Campus (completed in 2022) has a clean and airy design with light-filled interiors—but nothing evokes Americana quite like a historic courthouse on the town square.

I’m fascinated by the beauty and diversity of Indiana courthouses. I’ll never get to visit them all, but I’ve had the privilege of visiting around fifteen. I always set aside some extra time to explore the courthouse when making an appearance in a new county. The pictures featured on this website are snapshots from some of those explorations, capturing some of the details that make our Indiana courthouses special and unique.