GRANT COUNTY COURTHOUSE
The Courthouse has been called " The Heart of Marion." Three
different buildings have served this function since the formation of the county in 1831.
All have been located in approximately the same area.
The first courthouse was built on the site of an Indian mound which was about
60 feet in diameter and 10 feet in height. Excavation revealed skeletons of human beings.
It was estimated that some of the mound builders were about seven feet tall. Articles of
pottery ware, stone axes, pipes, and various other artifacts were found.
The first courthouse was a two-story frame building, 22 by 26 feet, erected by
order of the county commissioners in 1833. The first floor was the court room, arranged
with the judges' bench two feet above the floor with seats for three judges. The
second floor was divided into three rooms, the largest being 11 by 14 feet; the other
two, each 10 by 12 feet, were for the county officials. James Trimble secured the
contract for $684. At the time it was believed that this structure would last the county
many years. A new courthouse was ordered in May of 1837.
The second courthouse was built of brick in 1838 by George W. Webster, sr., at
a cost of $5,000. Dr. Ezra Stiles Trask secured the contract for building the second
courthouse. He employed Joseph Roberts to burn the brick. The bricks were made on the
courthouse yard from material taken from a mound in the court yard. Dr. Trask sold out to
George Webster, a pioneer builder, who later completed the building.
The second courthouse was considered an architectural triumph. The courtroom
was in the second story. This building served the needs of a growing community for more
than 40 years, but the necessity for a more convenient place to transact the county's
business and a safer repository for the records which had been accumulating for half a
century rendered it necessary to build again.
On January 8, 1880, the county commissioners decided that a new courthouse
would be erected on the public square. E.E. Meyers, an architect from Detroit, Michigan,
was employed to make plans and specifications, and to superintend the construction work on
a new building. The same commissioners, in session July 17, 1880, awarded a contract to
Hinsdale-Doyle Granite Company at their original bid of $133,875 and one cent.
June 1, 1881, was set apart for the formal laying of the cornerstone. The
business houses and dwellings in town were decorated with national colors. At 10'clock
a procession began to form and then marched through the principal streets. Participants
included the board of commissioners, band, one of them the Indian Band, and celebrities.
They halted at the northeast corner of the foundation, the assembled being estimated at
10,000 on the public azuare. Then came the formality of laying the cornerstone and
inserting a tin box containing a history of Grant County, a copy of the first paper
printed in Marion, (dated 1842), names of local dignitaries, a copy of the school laws of
Indiana, and copies of local newspapers.
A board fence 12 feet high was erected around the grounds with a two-gate
entrance at the southeast corner to allow the freight cars to back in over a temporary
track laid on East Fourth Street from the right-of-way of the Cincinnati, Wabash and
Michigan Railroad, commonly known as the Big Four Railroad. Freight trains were used to
transport large granite stones, "I" beams, iron stairs, cast iron columns, etc.
These were stored on ground near the building.
The main building was 154 feet long and 86 feet wide and was 136 feet from the
surface to the top of the statue. The dome extended 40 feet above the roof. Surmounting
the dome was a statue of Justice holding the balance in her left hand. The statue was
made of galvanized iron and was about nine feet in height. The building was completed in
1882.
The entire building was heated by steam from an engine house located on the
southeast corner of the jail grounds, Third and Branson Streets. A post office was
located in the southeast corner of the basement until November, 1890, when it was moved to
a new location at the southeast corner of fourth and Boots Streets. This beautiful and
classic structure provided stability and a focal point for the community during the Golden
age.
From The Golden Age of Marion
by Steve Bunish
edited by Stephanie Bunish Fuller
pages 11 & 12
JCT