Court House: The Heart of Indiana’s Counties
By: Brian Russelburg
A favorite book on my shelf which I reference quite often is “From Needmore to Prosperity, Hoosier Place Names in Folklore History,” by Ronald L. Baker, Indiana University Press. That book tells unique and humorous stories about how Indiana cities and towns arrived at their names. If you’ve lived in Indiana for any period of time you already know how unique our towns are. Even in Hendricks County, each town has a different and unique personality. Eclectic might be a better word.
If you love Indiana and those unique stories a “must see” exhibition is now on display at the Indiana Landmark Center in Indianapolis, at 1201 Central Avenue.
Noblesville attorney, Douglass Church desired to create something that would have a lasting impact on the state while he was serving as the President of the Indiana Bar Association. Being an art lover he decided in 2007 to collect paintings representing all the 92 Indiana county courthouses.
It was a lofty goal, and he said in many cases he asked, bargained, and sometimes pleaded for each painting. Several counties bought into the concept right away and donated immediately to his collection. After a while however, the project bogged down. But Church received a major boost reaching out to the Indiana Watercolor Society and the word was spread.
Collecting these paintings was time consuming, and Church personally drove to 61 of the 92 counties. At one point, Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepherd asked Church how long he thought it might take to gather all 92 paintings. Church humorously replied, “Well, if there’s 92 counties, it might take until I’m 92.” After 18 years, the last piece was added just weeks ago, completing the project. That prediction wasn’t too far off. Church is 81 years old.
In all, the completed collection consists of 91 paintings ranging from watercolors, pastels and oil paintings, with styles from Realism, Impressionism and even to Expressionism. There’s also a woodcut print. They are presented in different sizes and in various frames. Some of them were recently painted and some very old, with one being discovered in forgotten storage within a courthouse. Church said this collection is “Eclectic to the max” and the stories behind them are humorous.
The Farmland Courthouse in Randolph County inspired a documentary movie, “The Courthouse Girls of Farmland.” The Commissioners of Randolph County voted 2-1 to tear down the existing 19th century Italianate courthouse and build a new one. However, one family was outraged and began a fundraising campaign. They decided to raise money to save the building by creating a $5 calendar. That calendar featured a female bridge club in Farmland posing nude, strategically covered with porcelain reproductions of the courthouse they wanted to tear down. However, the ladies of that bridge club ranged from ages 77-94. That calendar raised over $45,000 and their efforts saved the building.
Each courthouse in Indiana is unique, many times built by local contractors, showing a bit of the personality of each town. Farmers markets, special events and even local parades are usually held near the grounds of the local courthouse. Last week, an annual Plein Air Paint Out and Family Fun Day event centered around the Court House in Danville.
Many times, they’re strategically placed in the center of each town to represent the beating heart of each community. And they are purposely larger than any other building to give the impression that the rule of law is there to protect us, and that we could raise our families in safety. They are places where disagreements may be resolved in a civil manner. Douglass Church calls them secular cathedrals.
The artists are as unique as the paintings. Some are highly awarded and some are amateurs. The Franklin County Courthouse was painted by the Honorable Circuit Court Judge, J. Steven Cox a well-known Plein Air painter.
Closer to home, about 10 years ago, local artist Laura Appleby saw an Open Call ad in the Hendricks County Flyer seeking artists to paint the local Danville Hendricks County Court House. The contact in that ad was a Hendricks County attorney, William Harrington, who had previously purchased a painting by Appleby. She submitted a proposal to Harrington and received the go ahead to paint, representing Hendricks County.
There are many stories in this exhibition like the ones above. The 92 Courthouses exhibition is presented by The Indiana State Bar Association, and the Indiana Landmark Center. It’s a must see for both art lovers and Indiana historians. It will be open to the public for viewing until September 26, and may be seen Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Hendricks County’s courthouse, painted by Laura Appleby