Wabash County is named for the Wabash River, which is derived from the English spelling of the French name for the river “Ouabache” which was named after the Miami Indian word for the river “Wabashike” meaning “pure white” as the river bottom is white limestone.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Richland County and Lawrence County
E – Knox County, Indiana and Gibson County, Indiana
S – Gibson County, Indiana and White County
W – Edwards County
Created: December 27, 1824
County Seat:
Palmyra 1825
Centerville 1825 – 1829
Mount Carmel 1829 – present
County Courthouse – Mount Carmel
Location: 401 North Market Street / East 4th Street
Built: 1959 – 1960
Style: Moderne
Architect: John L Hagel of Evansville, Indiana
Contractor: W R Steele
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Mount Carmel. The building was rebuilt and replaced the building built in 1880 to 1881. The north section of the building comes to the street. The entrance is recessed and has a one story covered porch. The south section is behind the entrance. The building has a modern square line appearance and the roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. The building was remodeled in 1963.
Note: Although the current courthouse is technically the same building as the one constructed in 1881, absolutely nothing remains of the original construction.
See: The 2nd Judicial Circuit includes Crawford County, Edwards County, Franklin County, Gallatin County, Hamilton County, Hardin County, Jefferson County, Lawrence County, Richland County, Wayne County and White County.
History : The county was created in 1824 and Palmyra, along the Wabash River, was selected as the first county seat in 1824. The house of Gervase Hazleton was rented by the county as the first courthouse. The county seat was moved to Centerville in 1825. The second courthouse was a frame two story structure built by Moses Bedell in 1826 at a cost of $715. The county seat moved to Mount Carmel in 1829. The third courthouse was a two story structure built at a cost of $4,000. The courthouse burned in 1857. The fourth courthouse was built by Hiram Bell in 1857 at a cost of $6,770. The courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1877. The fifth courthouse was designed by James Higbee and constructed by A Halterback in 1881. The sixth and present courthouse was the remodeling of the previous courthouse in 1959 to 1960.
County Courthouse – Mount Carmel
County Circuit Court courtroom
Commission Minutes 1959
Photos taken 2008, 2012 and 2024
Images 14*