Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, County courthouse in Evansville, Indiana.
The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse is a structure that occupies an entire city block and features limestone walls, fourteen statues, and a 216-foot bell tower containing a 4,500-pound bell. It sits at the intersection of Court, Fourth, Vine, and Fifth Streets with elaborate stone entrances on multiple sides.
Construction took place between 1888 and 1890 under the direction of architect Henry Wolters at a location that once held a canal boat basin from the Wabash and Erie Canal. The new courthouse replaced an older transportation infrastructure with a civic center.
The carved figures on the walls represent manufacturing, agriculture, commerce, and learning, showing what mattered to people living in Indiana during the 1800s. These symbols remain visible throughout the building and tell a story about the region's values.
The courthouse sits in downtown Evansville at a main intersection and can be reached from multiple directions on foot. The building's location makes it straightforward to access from various parts of the city center.
The artist Franz Engelsmann carved all fourteen main figures from local limestone and incorporated regional plant designs throughout the structure. These hand-sculpted figures showcase local flora woven into the architectural details.
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