Putnam County Court House

Greencastle is home to the Putnam County court house; the Putnam County Website also has some information regarding the courthouse.

According to Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana, this building is the county's third (and longest-occupied) court house. Some records regarding the first court house are lost, but construction, though plagued by delays, was underway by 1828. In September 1829 the court house committee reported that the court house was "complete with the exception of one Venetian blind in the northwest corner of said house—upper window." The county quickly outgrew the facility and by November 1833 was forced to move the clerk and recorder into a new building.

Construction of the second court house began around July 1847 at a contracted price of $6,326.74. Records of the September 4, 1848, board meeting note that "the court house was complete and officers [are] authorized to move in as soon as practicable."

An election in 1903 authorized construction of the current building, and a contract was let to Caldwell & Drake, of Columbus, Indiana, on July 29, 1903, for construction thereof. The cornerstone was laid October 29, 1903, and the building was completed and dedicated on July 4, 1905. The total cost of the new building was $175,729.68, including cost of the building itself, heating plant, sewer, and furnishings.

Today, the public square on which the court house is located is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Aerial view.