Vermillion County is named for the Vermilion River which flows through the county, and “vermilion” is the color of the red bluffs along the river, and the spelling has an extra “l” to distinguish it from the Illinois county that it adjoins.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Warren County
E – Fountain County and Parke County
S – Vigo County
W – Edgar County, Illinois and Vermilion County, Illinois
Created: January 2, 1824
County Seat:
Newport 1824 – present
County Courthouse – Newport
Location: 225 South Main Street / Market Street
Built: 1923 – 1925
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: John F Bayard of Vincennes and Halbert L Fillinger of Dana
Contractor: John N Good of Columbus.
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored limestone, brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Town Square in the center of Newport. The building has a poured concrete foundation and the walls are brick faced with limestone. The east entrance is framed with stone and recessed. Four half Corinthian columns divide recessed windows on the second and third stories. Above the roof line on each side of the building is a clock. The flat roof has an art-glass skylight at the center. In the interior, at the center is a square light-well rising to the third story with cross hallways on the first story and a split marble staircase rising to the second and third stories. There are marble-trimmed terrazzo floors and marble wainscot above which the walls, piers and pilasters are plastered and painted a gray color. The first story has an auditorium along the south side. The second story has the County Commissioner’s Room along the south side. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on south side of the third story and is paneled and trimmed in brown-finished oak with the original judge’s bench and ornamental plaster ceilings. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Vermillion County Courthouse
See: The 11th Judicial District includes Fountain County, Montgomery County, Parke County and Warren County.
History: The county was created in 1824 and Newport was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a simple structure built in 1824. The second courthouse was built in 1832 and was destroyed by fire. The third courthouse was built in 1845 and was also destroyed by fire. The fourth courthouse was built in 1867 and it was also destroyed by fire. On May 27, 1923. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1923 to 1925 at a cost of $345,000.
County Courthouse – Newport
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Commissioner’s Room
Photos taken 2008 and 2025
Images 16