Tipton County is named for John Tipton, who was a soldier in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 and who served as United States Senator for Indiana from 1831 to 1839.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Howard County
E – Grant County and Madison County
S – Hamilton County
W – Clinton County and Howard County
Created: January 15, 1844
County Seat:
Tipton (Canton) 1844 – present
County Courthouse – Tipton
Location: 101 East Jefferson Street / Court Street
Built: 1893– 1894
Style: Romanesque Classical Revival
Architect: Adolph Scherrer
Contractor: Pierce and Morgan of Indianapolis
Description: The building faces north and is a five story buff colored sandstone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Tipton. The entrance is in the center of the north side and is trimmed with stone. On the northwest corner is a square stone clock tower rising 206 feet with steep roof. On the northeast corner is a small tower with steep roof. Black colored slate covers the roofs. In the interior, the corridor floor and door sills on the first story are covered with flagging of Dolitic limestone laid in lime mortar. Encaustic titling was used for the second, third and fourth story corridor floors. There is marble wainscoting in the main north entrance and in second and third story corridors and in the staircase. White oak was used for the wood finishing. The wood handrails on the wrought iron staircases are polished cherry. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story and has white oak fixtures. A spiral wrought iron stair descends to the Clerk’s office on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 12th Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1988 to 1992.
Note: The bell in the clock tower weighs three thousand pounds and measures eight feet tall. Made of eighty percent copper and twenty percent tin, it was specifically cast for this building. The striking clapper measures in at fifty pounds.
See: The 12th Judicial District includes Boone County, Clinton County and Hamilton County.
History: The county was created in 1844 and Tipton (Canton) was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1845 at a cost of $1,200. The courthouse was expanded in 1846. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1858 to 1859 at a cost of $15,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1893 to 1894 at a cost of $170,988.
County Courthouse – Tipton
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008 and 2025
Images 19*