Tipton County Indiana Courthouse (Tipton, Indiana)

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Tipton County was formed in 1844. It was named for John Tipton, a soldier of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Tipton served as United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 until shortly before his death in 1839.

The current Tipton County Courthouse , dedicated in October, 1894, was designed by well-known Indianapolis architect Adolph Sherrer, who also was the supervising architect for the new State Capitol building. Two previous courthouses served the county. The first was a 24x20 two-story log structure built in 1845 by George Tucker on the east side of Court Street for the princely sum of $235.50, and was used until it burned in 1857. County government and the courts convened in area churches and a nearby annex which had been built only six months prior to the fire. The second courthouse, a three-story brick structure built on the same site as the present structure, was completed in 1860 for nearly $15,000. It served the county until 1892, when the brickwork was sold to pay for construction of the current courthouse.

The base of the current courthouse measures 92' by 125', standing 66' at the cornice of the main building. The clock tower towers above the surrounding buildings, rising majestically 206 feet from cornerstone to flagpole. The four-story structure contains 45 rooms, and cost $183,411.30 to complete.

The original clock cost $1,425. Operating by a series of heavy counterweights, the bell stands 8 feet high and measures 4 feet across the bottom. Composed of 80% copper and 20% tin, the massive bell weighs in at 3,000 pounds. An inscription cast into its side reads, "Cast for Tipton County Indiana Courthouse, A.D. 1884."

Interestingly, the clock face was apparently originally painted black with white hands and letters, as seen in a photo published on page 49 of Tipton County: A Pictorial History (available for purchase at the Chamber of Commerce offices for $20), and was later repainted to the current black-on-white color scheme.