Fountain County is named for James Fontaine, who was a Kentucky Major killed at Harmar’s Defeat during the Northwest Indian War in 1790.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Warren County
E – Tippecanoe County and Montgomery County
S – Parke County
W – Vermillion County and Warren County
Created: December 20, 1825
County Seat:
Covington 1826 – present
County Courthouse – Covington
Location: 301 4th Street / Washington Street
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Louis L Johnson and Walter Scholer of Lafayette
Contractor: Jacobson Brothers of Chicago, Illinois.
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored limestone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Covington. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Covington. The building has a raised basement on the first story. The east entrance has three rectangular stone framed entrances. The first story is horizontal stonework with vertical dividers on the second and third stories with recessed windows. The roof line is flat. In the interior, all of the floors are terrazzo with inlaid color motifs. The center has a large rectangular lobby and light-well with skylight and murals painted by Eugene F Savage depicting the history of the county. There is a spectacular split stair with closed balustrade having a large zig-zag profile. There is pink colored marble facing on the stairs, balustrades piers and wainscoting. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the east side of the third story and has dark brown colored woodwork. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior Court of the 18th Judicial District.
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See: National Register of Historic Places – Fountain County Courthouse
See: The 11th Judicial District includes Montgomery County, Parke County, Vermillion County and Warren County.
History: The county was created in 1825 and Covington was selected as the county seat in 1826. The county first met at the home of William White. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built by Abraham Griffith in 1827 at a cost of $335. The second courthouse was built in 1833 at a cost of $33,500. The third courthouse was a two story designed by Isaac Hodgson and built by John H Thomas in 1859 to 1861. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1936 to 1937 at a cost of $246,734.
County Courthouse – Covington
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008 and 2025
Images 17*