Fayette
County Historic Information
Fayette County
Fayette County was established as an act of the General Assembly of the
State of Indiana on December 18, 1818, and the act took effect on January 1,
1819. The city of Connersville dates back to 1813. Connersville was
established as the county seat on February 17, 1819. The name Fayette was
chosen in honor of General Lafayette.
The Courthouse
Plans for the first courthouse were approved by the County Commissioners in
November, 1819. The "History of Fayette County" by Frederick Irving
Barrows, states that it was located "on the center front of the public
square fronting to the east".
The
second courthouse was constructed in 1849. Elements of it survive to this day,
for it was never torn down, it merely underwent two remodelings in the late
1800s and numerous minor modifications since. The "Indiana Gazetteer"
published in 1849 states that the courthouse "...is one of the most
spacious, convenient, and substantial buildings of its kind in the State, - all
the county offices are located on the first floor, in good sized office rooms.
In connection with each office are ample fire-proof rooms for the security of
their books and papers. The court room, juror's rooms (of which there are four)
are all on the upper story. In the rear of the center building there is
attached a wing two stories high, which are constructed six dormitories, or
cells, for prisoners. The prisoners can be taken to and from the court from a
rear passage by a door entering immediately into the court room."
In 1881,
improvements were made on the interior of the building, the jail was taken out
and replaced by offices, and alterations were made to the courtrooms. Further
remodeling in 1890 resulted in the courthouse taking on its current appearance,
with the removal of the spire and columned porch, expansion and change to the
roofline ofo the two wings, a new brick facing for the exterior, and the
addition of the round turret. The turret originally was topped by a conical
spire, but was replaced in more recent times with the current dome.
Many feel that the original design of the courthouse was more esthetically
pleasing than the current one. The County Commissioners have recently hired an
architectural firm to study the issue of again remodeling the current
courthouse or possibly build a new one. One of the ideas under consideration is
to return the courthouse to more of its original appearance.
Click
here to see another drawing of the 1849 courthouse taken from the 1875
edition of "An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Fayette County Indiana"
by Higgins Belden & Co. of Chicago.
Questions? Email
information@co.fayette.in.us.
Web page design by:
Eddie (Rusty) Humphrey, Kevin Kouts , & Dan Pflum
The
second courthouse was constructed in 1849. Elements of it survive to this day,
for it was never torn down, it merely underwent two remodelings in the late
1800s and numerous minor modifications since. The "Indiana Gazetteer"
published in 1849 states that the courthouse "...is one of the most
spacious, convenient, and substantial buildings of its kind in the State, - all
the county offices are located on the first floor, in good sized office rooms.
In connection with each office are ample fire-proof rooms for the security of
their books and papers. The court room, juror's rooms (of which there are four)
are all on the upper story. In the rear of the center building there is
attached a wing two stories high, which are constructed six dormitories, or
cells, for prisoners. The prisoners can be taken to and from the court from a
rear passage by a door entering immediately into the court room."