Vigo County Courthouse
| Vigo County Courthouse | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Address | 33 So.3rd St |
| Town or city | Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Country |
 United States
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| Coordinates | 39°27′57″N 87°24′52″W / 39.46583°N 87.41444°W |
| Elevation | 506 feet above sea level |
| Construction started | August 1884 |
| Completed | 1888 |
| Inaugurated | June 7, 1888 |
| Cost | $443,000 at original completion |
| Owner | Vigo County, Indiana |
| Height | 284 feet |
| Dimensions | |
| Diameter | 226 feet (NS) and 277 feet (EW) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | |
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Vigo County Courthouse
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| Area | 74,515 square feet |
| NRHP Reference # | 83000160 |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1983 |
| Main contractor | Terre Haute Stone Co. |
The Vigo County Courthouse is a courthouse in Terre Haute, Indiana. The seat of government for Vigo County, the courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Vigo County was formed in 1818 by the Indiana General Assembly and construction of the county's first courthouse began that year. In the meantime, the temporary courthouse was the Eagle and Lion Tavern on the corner of Wabash Avenue and Second Street.
Early records show that on May 13, 1818, Nathaniel P. Huntington was allowed $10 for drawing up bonds; John M. Coleman $350 in part pay for building foundations; William Durham $400 in part pay for building walls, and Elihu Hovey and John Brocklebank $300 in part pay for building Court House. In November 1818, public records show that Charles B. Modesitt was allowed $25 for "clearing off the public square," indicating that the work of building the Court House began in 1818, though the structure was not completed until 1822.
This original structure was brick with a broad arched transom and an interior with elevated box seats and steps. A center aisle ran through the center of the building, dividing the structure into a south side dedicated to seating and a north side for the express use of the court and room for a judge's bench, lawyers' tables and a jury box.
The bottom floor of the courthouse was completed in 1822 and quickly became the place for court business, political gatherings, elections, public town meetings, lectures, sermons and more. Sometime in 1834-35, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon held meetings there defending the fledgling Latter Day Saint movement. In the 1850s, George W. Julian delivered an Abolition speech in the courthouse, where an angry mob gathered to prevent him from speaking but eventually departed.
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