Meade County is named for James Meade, who was killed at the Battle of River Raisin.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Perry County, Indiana, Crawford County, Indiana and Harrison County, Indiana
E – Hardin County
S – Hardin County and Breckinridge County
W – Breckinridge County and Perry County, Indiana
Created: December 17, 1823
County Seat:
Brandenburg 1823 – present
County Courthouse – Brandenburg
Location: 516 Hillcrest Drive / Courthouse Drive
Built: 1975 – 1976
Style: Modern
Architect: Nolan and Nolan of Louisville
Contractor: Shirman Brothers of Corydon, Indiana
Description: The building faces south and is a one story brown colored brick, steel and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds and sits on the top of a low hill to the west of the center of Brandenburg. The windows are vertical rising from the ground to the wide white colored cornice. The south front has a concrete portico extending from the top of the building, with the doorways recessed. The entrance is divided into three vertical sections with the doorway in the center. The center part of the building is raised and contains the courtroom. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County District Court of the 46th Judicial Circuit. To the east on East Hill are the old 1906 County Jail at 125 Main Street and old 1825 County Clerk’s Office at 205 Lafayette Street.
See: The 46th Judicial Circuit includes Breckinridge County and Grayson County.
History: The county was created in 1823 and Brandenburg was selected as the county seat. The first court met in 1823 in the two story tavern owned by Solomon Brandenburg located on the East Hill. The first courthouse, clerk’s office and jail were erected in 1825 to 1826 by Leonard B Parker and Dan S Richardson on the East Hill. The courthouse and clerk’s office were one story brick structures and the old clerk’s office is still standing. The second courthouse was built on the same site in 1851. On August 8, 1874, the site was sold to Adam Rankin, who constructed a one and one-half story Gothic Revival brick cottage which incorporated the original county clerk office as a wing. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1872 to 1874 on a site to the west. On April 3, 1974, the courthouse was destroyed by a tornado. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1975 to 1976.
County Courthouse – Brandenburg
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2018
Images 14*