Indiana County Courthouse Histories

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Elkhart County
Named for: Potawatomie or Shawnee Indian Chief
Organized: 1830
County Seat: Dunlap, 1830-1831
Goshen, 1831
Number of Courthouses: 6

Number	Years	Type	Detail
1	1833-1869	Coffee Mill	Builder: Henry Davis & Jacob Studebaker; Wings added at a later date; $4500
2	1871-1905	Castle	Arch: J.H. Barrows & George O. Garnsey, after 1868 Barrows & Barton 82x72 $124,881?; Plans accepted 6/11/1868, Accepted 1870 or 1871.
3	1905-Present	Castle	Arch: Patton & Miller, 1871, Courthouse with major revamping, ~$100,000; Builder: P.H. McCormick; An historical marker at the site states a 1909 completion date.

There was no courthouse constructed in Dunlap.

Additional Courthouses: There is presently a Superior Courthouse in Elkhart. Previous to the construction of this courthouse the County shared the existing Elkhart City Municipal Building, and previous to that there was an Elkhart Superior Courtroom in a specially built fifth floor of an Elkhart office building.

The homes of Mr. Duzenbury, Chester Sage, Thomas Thomas, and others are mentioned as locations of courts and other county business meetings 1831-1833.

In 1905, the side bell tower was removed from the 1971 Courthouse and a large dome over the main body and side extension were added. The result of these modifications created a Courthouse with a markedly different but pleasing appearance and is considered a new courthouse.

There were two large cannons and cannon balls guarding the East entrance to the Courthouse. These were confiscated as raw metal during WWII. A Civil War field artillery piece remains. There was also a police booth on a corner of the square.