The Blackford County Courthouse is a historic building located in
Hartford City, Indiana
Hartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the northeast central portion of the state, the small farming community underwent a dramatic 15-year economic boom beginning in the late 18 ...
, the county seat of
Blackford County
Blackford County is located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county is named for Judge Isaac Blackford, who was the first speaker of the Indiana General Assembly and a long-time chief justice of the Indiana Supreme ...
. The building stands on a
public square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
in the city's downtown commercial district. Built during the
Indiana Gas Boom, most of the construction work was completed in 1894. The current
courthouse was preceded by another courthouse building on the same site, which was declared inadequate by a judge in 1893, and was torn down. Following the condemnation of the original courthouse, the county's
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
activities were temporarily located in a building across the street.
The current courthouse was designed by architects Arthur LaBelle and Burt L. French, who were from nearby
Marion, Indiana. The building's architectural style is
Richardsonian Romanesque, which was popular during the second half of the 19th century. The large corner tower of the building is the tallest structure in the downtown commercial district. Considered "the county's most outstanding landmark", the structure is often pictured on web sites associated with the area, and continues to house local government over 100 years after its construction.
In addition to the courthouse building, the buildings around the courthouse square are also historic in nature and considered
contributing properties
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
to the
Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District
The Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District is located in Hartford City, Indiana. Hartford City has a population of about 7,000 and is the county seat of Blackford County and the site of the county courthouse. The National Park S ...
. The courthouse was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1980
and was included as a contributing property to the
historic district in 2006. Most of the
buildings in the Courthouse Square Historic District continue to have
facades that look similar to their original design. Although the interior has been remodeled, the exterior of the courthouse also retains its original appearance.
History
The small cluster of log cabins called Hartford was designated the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Blackford County
Blackford County is located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county is named for Judge Isaac Blackford, who was the first speaker of the Indiana General Assembly and a long-time chief justice of the Indiana Supreme ...
in 1837, when legislation to create the county was proposed.
Despite being created in 1838, no county government was organized until 1839, and there was some dissent over the location of the county seat.
During June 1939,
Indiana Governor
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...
David Wallace appointed Nicholas Friend as the new county's sheriff, and elections were held soon thereafter.
The log cabin homes of county officials served as county government buildings during the first year of the county's organized existence. County affairs were first handled at the log cabin home of Andrew Boggs, which was located just north of Little Lick Creek in
Licking Township. This cabin was, in effect, the capitol of Blackford County for about three months.
Site
Among the first orders made by the new county government was a survey of of wilderness located to the north of Boggs’ cabin, parts of which had been donated for the purpose of housing the seat of government. A public square was to be located on of land, on which the seat of justice was to be located. It was also ordered that the seat of justice was to be named Hartford.
The were owned by three individuals living in an adjacent county. The owners donated every other lot to the county as part of a plan to ensure that the county seat was located there—and increase the value of their property.
Despite the county government's orders and plans, no action was taken on constructing a courthouse. In September 1839, the county commissioners began conducting business in the home of Jacob Emshwiller. For a few months, the Emshwiller home was the new capitol of Blackford County.
Montpelier, Indiana
Montpelier is a city in Harrison Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. This small rural community, the county's first to be platted, was established by settlers from Vermont, and is named after Vermont's capital city of M ...
, is located in the northeastern portion of Blackford County, in
Harrison Township. In late 1839, the location of the county seat was formally contested, as the citizens of Montpelier believed their community would be a better location. Montpelier had been platted in 1837, while the "town" of Hartford was still wilderness north of a cluster of log cabins.
However, Licking Township, where Hartford was located, contained more of the county's population.
Licking township did not have a platted community like Montpelier, but had attracted farmers because the land near Lick Creek had acceptable drainage.
The board of commissioners ruled against Montpelier in a January 1840, session.
In November 1840, the board ordered the construction of a courthouse—which was to be located in Hartford. The plan was for a , two-story, "hewed-log" courthouse.
The commissioners went into considerable detail describing the building. However, the courthouse was not constructed because of continuing controversy over the location (Hartford or Montpelier) of the county seat.
In 1841, the commissioners again settled on Hartford as the location for the county seat, and planning for Blackford County's original courthouse began. On September 11, 1841, the Blackford County board of commissioners ordered that written proposals should be received to build a courthouse on the public square in the town of Hartford. The building was to be square, high, and built of brick on a stone foundation.
The courthouse grounds occupied instead of the proposed in 1839.
Original courthouse
The contract for Blackford County's first courthouse was let on December 7, 1841, and construction was supervised by Charles and William F. Jones. The proposed cost for the courthouse was $5,600.
Until the courthouse was ready, rooms were rented from various members of the community for conducting county government. By May 1845, an arrangement was made for the upper floor to be used for court proceedings until the entire building was completed. Finally, in a special session held October 31, 1845, the board of commissioners found that the courthouse had been completed according to contract. The total cost for the courthouse building was $5,750.
The small community grew to a population of 250 by 1850, and it took 30 more years to get close to a population of 1,500.
Early during that period, "Hartford" became known as "Hartford City" because another Hartford existed elsewhere in the state.
In 1887, Hartford City Gas and Oil Company drilled Hartford City's first
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
, and Hartford City's participation in the
Indiana Gas Boom began.
The area experienced a period of economic growth and prosperity as manufacturers moved to the region to utilize the low-cost energy.
An 1887 description of the courthouse called it "a plain building…its architecture characteristic of the pioneer times". It also said the building "is still good enough were it only in better repair."
On January 19, 1893, Judge Joseph L. Custer declared the "courtroom to be an inadequate place for the transaction of the business of this court", and that court business "be held elsewhere in some suitable place in the county seat."
Current courthouse
The county commissioners responded in March 1893, to the Judge's declaration that the (original) courthouse was inadequate. The three commissioners, T. T. McGeath, I. L. Hughs, and A. W. Miles, ordered that a new courthouse was necessary. A week later, they engaged the
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
firm of LaBelle and French as architects for the new courthouse.
Since the original courthouse was condemned, and Judge Custer (of the 48th Circuit Court of Indiana) refused to use it, arrangements were made to use the nearby opera house for courtroom proceedings until a new courthouse was available. On May 20, 1893, the old courthouse building was sold for $20, and removed from the grounds to enable construction of the new structure.
In October, it was decided that the opera house was not suitable for courtroom proceedings because of possible theatrical conflicts, so rooms were rented at the newly built
Briscoe Block building located on the south side of the courthouse square. Two rooms, with gas heat included, were rented for a total of $400 per year. One room would be for the circuit court, while the other was for the county clerk's office.
On June 8, 1893, LaBelle and French provided the county commissioners with a complete plan for the new courthouse. The architects designed a monumental stone courthouse in the
Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style that was popular in the United States at that time. The four-story building measured . It featured enormous arches on the northern and southern
facades, semicircular towers on the east and west sides, and a clock tower on the southwest corner.
Although the community planned to build the courthouse as a monument to the city's (Gas Boom-related) prosperity, the commissioners were still concerned with costs. In late July 1893, the commissioners awarded the courthouse construction contract to the Fort Wayne firm of Boseker & Son. The price was cut to $97,000 by altering some of the architect's specifications. The stone chosen for the building was Amherst Blue from quarry number 9 in
Amherst, Ohio
Amherst () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located west of Cleveland. The population was 12,681 at the 2020 census.
History
The original village, which eventually became known as Amherst, was established/founded by pione ...
.
Work on the foundation was conducted in August, and the foundation stones were brought to town from Montpelier quarries located on the other side of the county.
On November 1, 1893, the city held a ceremony for the laying of the courthouse
cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over tim ...
. The local
Free and Accepted Masons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
Lodge Number 106 ran the program.
The ceremony included a parade, a welcome by
prosecutor J. A. Hindman, a Masonic ceremony, an address by Mason Past Grand Master Martin H. Rice, and an address by historian Benjamin G. Shinn.
Although a harsh winter sometimes made work difficult, construction of the courthouse progressed far enough that work on the large (3 stories high)
arch on the southern façade began during February 1894. Around the same time, work to carve the
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
above the second story was sublet to Gustave Steuber.
Much of the carving work around the building's entrances was conducted under Mr. Steuber's direction.
The building's
cornice was finished in April, and nearly all of the structure's stone was
cut
Cut may refer to:
Common uses
* The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force
** A type of wound
** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past
** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment
** Cut (ea ...
by that time.
By June, work was started on the
clock tower, and almost all of the roof was completed in August.
The tower's clock arrived by rail in August from New Haven, Connecticut—although the tower was not ready to accommodate the timepiece until October.
Installation of the clock was completed in November.
By February 1895, the courthouse contractor considered the courthouse finished.
On February 27, 1895, county officials began moving into the new courthouse.
Total cost for the new courthouse was $129,337. Most of that expense was paid to the contractor, Boseker and Son. Among other expenses included in the total were $2,000 paid to the
E. Howard Clock Company of Boston, $7,000 for furniture paid to the H. Ohmer and Sons Company, and $6,158 for architecture.
After the courthouse was completed, it was discovered that some modifications were needed for its plumbing and heating system. Outside of the courthouse, steps were also taken to beautify the surrounding grounds.
Sidewalks were added, and eventually hitching racks for horses. A war memorial was added to the northeast corner of the courthouse grounds in 1921, and this was the first of the major war memorials that occupy the corners of the courthouse lawn.
A total of nine memorials, monuments and commemorative plaques have been added to the grounds within the courthouse square.
Today, the courthouse is still used by local government, and has a mailing address of 110 West Washington Street, Hartford City, Indiana.
Hartford City's
ZIP code is 47348. Courtroom facilities on the second floor of courthouse are used by the Blackford County Circuit Court and Blackford County Superior Court.
The Blackford County Prosecutor also maintains an office in the building.
The Blackford County commissioners meet on the first floor of the courthouse, and the county Clerk's office is also located on that floor.
Additional office space is provided in the Blackford County Courthouse Annex, which is located across the street on the west side of the courthouse. The annex has an address of 121 North High Street. Among the offices housed in the annex building are the Blackford County Community Foundation,
the Blackford County Emergency Operations Center,
and the Blackford County Economic Development Corporation (including the County Assessor).
Architecture
Designed by the firm known as LaBelle and French of Marion, Indiana, the Blackford County Courthouse is considered an excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, which was popular at the time.
LaBelle and French also designed the
White County courthouse in
Monticello, Indiana
Monticello ( ) is a city in Union Township, White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of White County.
Monticello is known as a tourist destination in north-central Indiana an ...
; the
Trumbull County
Trumbull County is a county in the far northeast portion of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 201,977. Its county seat is Warren, which developed industry along the Mahoning River. Trumbull County is part of the ...
courthouse in
Warren, Ohio
Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The hi ...
; and other buildings in the region.
Listed December 31, 1974, the Trumbull County courthouse is also part of the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. Unfortunately, the White County courthouse was severely damaged by a "direct hit" from a tornado (rated as "F4" using the
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...
) during the
1974 Super Outbreak
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed. From Apri ...
, and therefore demolished. LaBelle and French also designed one of Hartford City's hotels, and one of the city's many glass factories.
Exterior
The courthouse was built using
Henry Hobson Richardson's variation of the
Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
style of architecture—which later became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Constructed mostly during 1894, the four–story building features a 165-foot clock tower located on the southwest corner, and is the tallest structure in the area. The roof is a high
pitched hip roof
A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...
, and exterior walls are made from
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
.
The northern and southern facades of the structure are similar—each consisting of three
bays. The central bay is occupied by a massive round-arched
portal
Portal often refers to:
* Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel
Portal may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...
with enriched
archivolt
An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch.
It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...
s and a fan window. From the ground-floor doorway to the top of the large central bay
arch measures about three stories high. A
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
d dormer rises above the central arch. The
dormer has three double-hung windows, and a central arched window resides above the middle. Each of the side bays has a set of windows for each floor, and the third floor windows are crowned with arched windows.
The huge clock tower is the main difference between the north and south facades. Located on the southwest corner of the courthouse, it is topped by a steeply-pitched roof with round corner
piers.
Blind arcading is used on the upper portion of the tower between the clock faces and the roof of the main portion of the building. Three rows of
slit windows are utilized within the blind arcading. A clock face can be seen on all four sides of the tower. An arch supported by
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to:
*Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible:
**First Epistle to the Corinthians
**Second Epistle to the Corinthians
**Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox)
*A demonym relating to ...
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s houses each face of the clock.
The east and west sides of the courthouse are identical up to the roofline. The west side also has the corner clock tower, which appears on the right when viewing toward the east. Both east and west sides have six bays. The first, third, fourth, and sixth bays have dual windows on each floor. A fan window crowns the dual windows on the third floor. The second and fifth bays are occupied by semicircular towers that rise above the bottom of the main roofline. The towers have three main windows on each floor, and the third floor windows are crowned with
transoms that are crowned with fan windows. Above the towers’ third floor fan windows, near the top of the tower, are small arched windows resting above
belt courses.
As time has passed, renovations and updates have been made to the courthouse and surrounding grounds. However, the courthouse exterior has retained its original form. Many of the nearby buildings, which were also built in the 1890s, also retain much of their original form.
In 1940, the hitching racks around the courthouse square were removed, as automobiles had replaced horses as the preferred mode of transportation.
Parking meters were added to the square in 1952. The building's stone exterior was refreshed by a
sandblasting
Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove s ...
treatment in 1963. Exterior spotlights were added during the 1980s.
The latest project to refurbish the courthouse moved forward during 2010. On December 6, 2010, the county commissioners decided to proceed with a courthouse preservation project that was estimated to cost in excess of $325,000.
Interior
The interior of the Blackford County courthouse has a twenty-two feet wide main hallway that runs between the northern and southern facades. The original floors were tiled, and the walls were
wainscoted
Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a Millwork (building material), millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials.
Panelling was deve ...
with
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
.
Stairways to the second floor are located on both the north and south sides. The south side stairway continues from the second floor to the third floor. The north side of the third floor is occupied by the courtroom, and this room accounts for about half of the floor. The space adjacent to the north-south hallway on all three floors is used for offices with the exception of the third-floor courtroom and a small library. The fourth floor is unfinished and used for storage. From the fourth floor, one can ascend a narrow stairway to the top of the bell tower.
The three finished interior floors have been renovated, modernized, and updated since the original construction. One step in modernization occurred in 1965, when an elevator was installed in the building.
Among various renovations, the second and third floors were updated around 1980. Currently, the first floor has carpeting, fluorescent lighting, and acoustic ceiling tiles. The north and south facades now have modern glass doors that form
vestibules at the entrances. The hallway ceilings have been molded with stenciling. Some painted scenes, which are not original to the building, can be found in the main hallway. One such scene includes a painting of the original courthouse surrounded by paintings of tablets representing each of the county's four townships, each with local scenes.
Other features
The public square where the Blackford County Courthouse stands is the heart of the
Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District
The Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District is located in Hartford City, Indiana. Hartford City has a population of about 7,000 and is the county seat of Blackford County and the site of the county courthouse. The National Park S ...
. In addition to the courthouse in the center of the square, each corner of the square is the site of a war memorial, including one that is considered a
contributing property to the
Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District
The Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District is located in Hartford City, Indiana. Hartford City has a population of about 7,000 and is the county seat of Blackford County and the site of the county courthouse. The National Park S ...
. Additional memorials are also located on the grounds.
Revolutionary War memorial
On the southwest corner of the courthouse stands the county's
Revolutionary War memorial. Consisting of a
commemorative plaque on a large stone, the memorial was placed in honor of Blackford County's five Revolutionary War
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military.
A military veteran that h ...
s buried within the county. A dedication ceremony was conducted on June 17, 1933, by the Nancy Knight Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
The dedicatory address was given by the Reverend H. C. Cornuelle, pastor of the local
First Presbyterian Church. The stone was from the Twin Hills
gravel pit
A gravel pit is an open-pit mine for the extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may naturally fill with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either ...
in nearby
Jay County.
World War I memorial
Blackford County's
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
memorial was unveiled on the northeast corner of the courthouse square on September 28, 1921, in a dedication ceremony with James Taylor, president of
Taylor University
Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the country.
The university is named after Bishop Willia ...
as the speaker.
The memorial is a reproduction of a sculpture known as the "
Spirit of the American Doughboy
''The Spirit of the American Doughboy'' is a pressed copper sculpture by E. M. Viquesney, designed to honor the veterans and casualties of World War I. Mass-produced during the 1920s and 1930s for communities throughout the United States, the ...
", which was created by
Ernest Moore Viquesney.
Beneath the Doughboy sculpture is a list of Blackford County residents that served in World War I. The monument was partially funded by a contribution from the ladies of the Service Star Legion.
World War II memorial
Blackford County's
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
memorial is located on the northwest corner of the courthouse square. Its dedication ceremony was held on May 30, 1950. City attorney Robert Bonham gave the dedication address. The monument lists over 1,880 names of veterans associated with Blackford County.
Korea and Vietnam War memorial
Blackford County's monument to veterans of the
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
and
Vietnam war
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
s is located on the southeast corner of the courthouse square. Congressman
David Dennis spoke at the 1973 dedication of this monument. The monument, originally contained a list of the county's war dead from the two wars. It was expanded in 1987 to include all of the county's veterans of the two wars. A tablet on the left of the monument lists veterans of the Korean War, while a tablet on the right side lists veterans of the Vietnam War.
Monument to Veterans of the Civil War
Blackford County's
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
monument is located on the southwest corner of the courthouse square. The Blackford County Civil War Re-enactment Club is responsible for the monument. The project began with a Memorial fund in 1997, and progressed for about 10 years to completion of the project. Construction of the monument began in 2004 with a granite base, pedestal, and walkway. A dedication for that portion of the monument was held on October 9, 2004. The sculpture of the civil war soldier was added a few years later. Stacks of black granite cannonballs were added to each corner of the monument in 2007. The monument recognizes all soldiers associated with Blackford County: soldiers who lived in the county at the start of the war, soldiers who enlisted in the county, soldiers buried in the county, and veterans who moved to the county after the war.
Other monuments and commemorative plaques
The Blackford County Courthouse lawn is also the site of some smaller commemorative plaques. An early addition was the Orville Whitacre Memorial Marker, which was added in 1922.
The H. C. Cornuelle Memorial Marker was added in 1936.
The Reverend Herbert C. Cornuelle served in World War I as a chaplain in the United States Army. After the war, the
American Legion named him chaplain for the state of Indiana. He also became the minister of Hartford City's First Presbyterian Church—serving from 1928 until 1936. During Work War I, Cornuelle suffered permanent injury from a gas attack, and his injury contributed to his death from pneumonia on April 21, 1936.
A second plaque, the Bicentennial Capsule Marker, was also added in 1936. Many years later, a Blackford County Courthouse Cornerstone Rededication Marker was added in a ceremony on November 13, 1993. The Free and Accepted Masons conducted the ceremony, and a time capsule was presented by the presidents of the Blackford County Historical Society and the Montpelier Historical Society.
A Blackford County Courthouse Historical Marker was placed on October 1, 1994, by the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Blackford Lodge Number 106 of the Free and Accepted Masons.
Significance
The Blackford County Courthouse was added to National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1980. On June 21, 2006, its historic importance was reasserted when it was included as a contributing property in the Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District's listing on the National Register.
On its original National Register nomination form, the building was cited as significant in the areas of "architecture" and "politics/government." The courthouse has been "the focus of governmental, political and civic affairs," and "its size and architecture dominate" downtown Hartford City.
In addition, the war memorials on the courthouse grounds contribute to the sense of time and place that the Hartford City Courthouse Historic District conveys.
See also
*
*
Notes and references
Notes
References
Cited works
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External links
Blackford County Historical Society
{{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Blackford County, Indiana
Government buildings completed in 1894
Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Indiana
County courthouses in Indiana
Buildings and structures in Blackford County, Indiana
Clock towers in Indiana
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Indiana
1894 establishments in Indiana