Marshall County - American Courthouses

Marshall County is named for John Marshall, who was the United States Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Saint Joseph County

E – Elkhart County and Kosciusko County

S – Fulton County

W – Starke County and Saint Joseph County

Created: February 7, 1835

County Seat:

Plymouth 1836 – present

County Courthouse – Plymouth

Location: 211 West Madison Street / North Center Street

Built: 1870 – 1872

Style: Italianate

Architect: Gurdon Paine Randall of Chicago, Illinois

Contractor: R Epperson and S Favorite of Lafayette

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square to the northwest of the center of Plymouth. The east front has a large portico with a center arch and small side arches on the first story. Four columns rise from the base of the second story to the pediment at the roof line. Stone trims the corner of the building and the windows. The base of the building is course stone. On the center of the roof is a square yellowish colored clock tower with silver colored dome and spire at the top. In the interior is white colored marble and marble stairs. The Circuit Court courtroom is located along the south side of the second story and has carved wood and an ornate ceiling with paintings. The County Superior Court courtroom is also located on the second story The building houses the County Superior Court of the 5th Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1913 and 1949. An addition was added on the north side in 1988 to 1990 named as the County Courts Building. There are two Superior Court courtrooms located on the first story. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior Court of the 5th Judicial District. The architect was Mathews-Purucker-Anella, Inc. and the contractor was Carl J Reinke & Sons, Inc. On the east side is the County Building.

See: The architect, Gurdon Paine Randall of Chicago also designed the courthouses in Benton County, and in Georgia in Bibb County; in Illinois in Montgomery County and Morgan County and in Michigan in Menominee County.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Marshall County Courthouse

See: The 5th Judicial District includes Elkhart County and Kosciusko County.

History: The county was created in 1835 and Plymouth was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a temporary wood structure erected in 1836 by the city proprietors. The second courthouse was a wood frame structure built by Levi C Barber in 1840 at a cost of $5,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1870 to 1872 at a cost of $109,294.