Decatur, Indiana is the county seat of Adams County. The town was founded in 1836 and has a population of about 9,000. It is located about twenty miles south of Fort Wayne on US 27.

 

Before you ask, "Where are the people?" this was a Sunday afternoon.

 

St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church has an appealing Art Deco style with richly colored stained glass windows. The interior follows the same theme, but was too dark for photography. I hope to return and see if I can photograph it with the lights on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown has many brick buildings dating to the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but very little commercial activity. Most retail has moved to strip centers along US 27, and Wal Mart is replacing an older store with a new supercenter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Adams County Courthouse was designed by J.C. Johnson and built by Christian Boseker; the cornerstone was laid in 1875. The courthouse appears to be very well maintained.

 

 

 

I've seen many cornerstones that were laid by Masons, but I don't think I've seen one before that was laid by both Masons and Odd Fellows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was nice before someone added the funeral-home foyer. It still could be fixed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go To Part 2

 

 

 

courthouse!!

 

looks like indiana's coshocton...

 

and wow: http://robertpence.com/decatur_6-05/074_decatur_in.jpg

That courthouse is smokin.

I am glad they wrote corner stone on the corner stone, I never would have guessed! Otherwise, nice Courthouse.

Since posting this thread, I've learned a little more about the courthouse. As I noted in the Winchester thread (http://www.robertpence.com/winchester_in_6-05_p1.html), the Adams County Courthouse was designed by J.C. Johnson, same architect who three years later created an identical courthouse for Randolph County in Winchester. Originally it was built with a centrally-positioned Second Empire clock tower, just like the one in Winchester was.

 

Also like the Winchester one, the clock tower proved structurally unstable from the get-to, and was said to have swayed and creaked ominously in high winds. The Adams County Courthouse was extensively remodeled around the turn of the century by Brentwood Tolan, later the architect of the Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne. Tolan removed the portico and replaced the Johnson's centrally-positioned tower with the present one above the east end of the building. The courthouse in Winchester kept its original tower until 1955, when both the tower and mansard roof were removed and the upper floors were extensively bastardized.

 

I speculate that Johnson's tower was supported only by the timber structure of the roof, instead of by masonry bearing walls going all the way to the foundation, the way it should have been. My dad bought the timbers from the Winchester tower to build a bridge; they were 12 x 12 red oak.

Bumping this old thread to help fill in the gap between Fort Wayne and Portland.

^Ah, but we haven't seen downtown Ft. Wayne yet. :-)

 

It is amazing how much Decatur's courthouse resembles the one in Defiance. Might be good to take the Defiance County Commissioners over for a visit; I'm sure restoration would be expensive, but wouldn't it be wonderful!

 

Summit Street image

 

 

I wonder if Boseker did identical designs for both counties, much like David Gibbs did for two sets of counties in Ohio.

Huh, never commented before. 

 

That church is pretty cool.  I like Deco churches like Our Lord Christ the King in Cincinnati (Mt. Lookout)

 

Thanks for the tour Rob!

 

 

^Ah, but we haven't seen downtown Ft. Wayne yet. :-)

 

It is amazing how much Decatur's courthouse resembles the one in Defiance. Might be good to take the Defiance County Commissioners over for a visit; I'm sure restoration would be expensive, but wouldn't it be wonderful!

 

Summit Street image

 

 

 

Decatur (Adams County) and Winchester (Randolph County) were identical twins when built, both designed by J.C. Johnson. Boseker was the contractor in Decatur, and A.G. Campfiled was the contractor in Winchester. Both buildings developed structural problems with their towers and roofs, and Decatur's was modified. Winchester's was stripped of its mansard roof and tower.

 

 

 

The one in Defiance looks like there may have been triplets; the designs are too alike to be coincidence. Originally Johnson was from Fremont, Ohio, and was a carpenter and self-taught architect.

And oddly enough both Winchester and Defiance's courthouses were recently in danger of demolition.

 

I have to say, simple removal of the addition and a simple cornice would do wonders for Defiance, having seen Winchester's.

The one in Defiance looks like there may have been triplets; the designs are too alike to be coincidence. Originally Johnson was from Fremont, Ohio, and was a carpenter and self-taught architect.

 

I guess when J.C. Johnson had a good thing going, he stuck with it.

 

"Fremont architect J.C. Johnson constructed the Defiance County courthouse in 1873..."

http://omp.ohiolink.edu/OMP/Printable?oid=765790&scrapid=36358

 

Beautiful!

Nice photos, I wouldn't mind visiting it.

They should really restore the mansard roofs and clocktowers to those structures.

I drove through crawfordsville Indiana last monthe. Their courthouse is a second empire structure, but the dormers and towers were removed in the 1940s becuase an artist thought the tower was leaning, when they actually dident check to see if it was. It took four monthes to take the tower down. But today they plan to restore the clocktower once funding is complete.

Why cant those courthouses do the same?

Definitely a little late to the party but if you'd like to know anything at all about this house (http://robertpence.com/decatur_6-05/124_decatur_in.jpg) I can help...it's my dad's.  Built in 1877 by John Niblick with the best materials that money could buy the house has stood the tests of time.  My dad got it in '98 and changed it back from 2 apartments and a business office into it's original single-family state.  He's restored (to the best of his budget) most of the inside but realized that the minute he started doing anything outside the house his taxes skyrocketed, so he stopped on the outside.  At this point we're looking for someone to give estimates on refinishing a slate roof! 

 

Eventually the plan is to either completely remove the stucco to reveal the original brick structure or to have the stucco redone.  Tough decision and tedious work either way.  I'll get some interior photos if you'd like to see.

Interesting! I didn't examine it closely, and didn't realize it was textured stucco over brick. Some houses were built with cement block that had that facing on it -- I think they called it ashlar block -- and I just assumed this was one of those. It's older than I guessed, though. Most of the cement-block houses were built in the era leading up to World War I, and this must have been an attempt to update the old brick house to a "modern" style.

 

I'd enjoy seeing some interior photos.

 

Aren't there any historic preservation grants or exemptions that your dad could get, to avoid getting reamed on property taxes if he restores the outside? The house would be a credit to Decatur's downtown.

 

Niblick is a familar name to me. I grew up near Bluffton, and remember a few people by that name. One cut my hair when I was a teenager.

Wow! I never saw this thread until now and you're kinda blowin' my mind, Rob! My great aunt was a Sister at St. Mary of the Assumption. I remember driving to go pick her up on her vacation when she'd come and stay with us and poking my head around. Thanks! I'll be showing this to my mom soon!

I wonder how I can join the independant order of odd fellows 

 

(see cornerstone :))

I wonder how I can join the independant order of odd fellows 

 

(see cornerstone :))

 

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is still very much alive, with chapters in quite a few cities and towns. Their long-standing goal is To Elevate and Improve the Character of Man. I'm sure they'd welcome you.