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The Courthouse was originally built in
1837 by John D. Wilson. In 1885, it was destroyed by
fire and rebuilt. In 1934, a second fire caused
extensive damage and it was again rebuilt.
On December 27, 1934, the courthouse was
again spotted on fire, shortly after midnight. The
fire was discovered by Tracy Elgin, a merchant
policeman making his nightly rounds of the downtown
business district.
Officer Elgin ran to the firehouse and
sounded the alarm. The local fire brigade requested
assistance from Gary and LaPorte Fire Departments as
well.
At one time the flames were so high that
it appeared to be in the glare of the noonday sun.
The fire was too much for the fire brigades to
contain. By morning the roof and tower were
destroyed and the upper floor and attic were in
ruins. The lower level, which contained County
Offices and County Records were largely undamaged
this time.
The three story tower and front stairs
located on the south side were removed. The ground
was graded so that the basement became the ground
floor and a fourth floor was also added at this
time. |
