Martin County is named for John T Martin, who was from Newport, Kentucky
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Greene County
E – Lawrence County and Orange County
S – Dubois County
W – Davies County
Created: January 17, 1820
County Seat:
Hindostan 1820 – 1828
Mount Pleasant 1828 – 1844
Memphis 1844
Harrisonville 1844 – 1845
Hillsborough ( Dover Hill ) 1845 – 1869
West Shoals 1869 – 2000
Shoals 2000 – present
County Courthouse – Shoals
Location: 111 Main Street / 2nd Street
Built: 1981 – 1982
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Midwestern Engineers, Inc. of Loogootee
Description: The building faces east and is a two story concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Shoals. The building was constructed as the Old National Bank building sold to the county in 1999 and converted to the courthouse in 2000. The east front is glass but the building has no windows at the front or along the sides. The building extends down a hill creating two stories. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 25th Judicial District.
Old County Courthouse – West Shoals
Location: 220 Capital Avenue / Maple Street
Built: 1875 – 1876
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: William George
Contractor: Travis Carter and Benjamin Carter of Seymour
Description: The building faces south and is a two story white-gray colored brick, stucco and wood structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of West Shoals. The south front has an arched entrance on the first story with a small balcony above on the second story. The second story windows are arched. At the front of the roof is a large square cupola which rises in tiers to a dome at the top. In the interior, the first story hallway runs north-south. There are stone floors and plaster walls and ceiling. Matching curved staircases ascend from the entrance lobby. The second story has the “T” shaped courtroom. The building now houses the Martin County Historical Museum.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Martin County Courthouse
See: The 25th Judicial District includes Davies County, Dubois County, Knox County. Perry County, Pike County and Spencer County.
History: The county was created in 1820 and Hindostan was selected as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Mount Pleasant in 1828. The first courthouse was a brick structure erected in 1829. The county seat was moved to Halberts Bluff, Memphis and West Shoals and then to Harrisonville in 1844. The county seat was moved to Hillsborough and Dover Hill in 1845. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1846. The county seat was moved to West Shoals in 1869. The third courthouse was built in 1871 at a cost of $29,000 but was destroyed by fire. The fourth courthouse was built in 1876 to 1877 at a cost of $8,588 and is still standing. The fifth and present courthouse is a converted bank building constructed in 1982 and converted for use as the courthouse in 2000.
County Courthouse – Shoals
Old County Courthouse – West Shoals
Photos taken 2008 and 2012
Images 11