DeKalb County is named for Johann, Baron de Kalb, who was an American Revolutionary War hero and who lived from 1721 to 1780.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Steuben County
E – Williams County, Ohio and Defiance County, Ohio
S – Allen County
W – Noble County
Created: February 7, 1835 
County Seat:
Auburn 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Auburn
Location: 100 South Main Street / West 7th Street
Built: 1911 – 1914
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Mahurin & Mahurin of Fort Wayne
Contractor: J B Goodall of Peru.
Description: The building faces west and is a three story stone structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Auburn. The center section of the west front projects from the main building and has a stone framed entrance on the first story. Two large columns rise from the second to third stories. Above is a pediment with clock. A balustrade runs along the roof line. In the interior, there is a Florentine Art glass dome in the center of the rotunda. The corridor wainscoting and the stairs are Vermont marble. Interior walls, ceilings and columns are beautifully decorated in imitation marble. The large courtroom which is 40 feet by 60 feet and 25 feet in height is located on the third story and has wood paneling. The building houses the County Circuit Court and the County Superior Court of the 6th Judicial District.
Note: The large brass master clock on the first story originally controlled all of the exterior and interior clocks. The system was manufactured by Hahl Automatic Clock Company of Chicago.
See: The architect, Mahurin & Mahurin ( Wing ) of Fort Wayne also designed courthouses in Hancock County, LaPorte County, Monroe County and Starke County.
See: The 6th Judicial District includes LaGrange County, Noble County, Steuben County and Whitley County.
History: The county was created in 1835 and Auburn was selected as the county seat in 1837. The first court met at the home of Wesley Park and then at the schoolhouse. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1843 to 1844 at a cost of $800. The courthouse was burned in 1864. The second courthouse was constructed by Alpheus Wheelock, William Valleau and John McKay in 1864 at a cost of $23,372. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1911 to 1914 at a cost of $317,072.
County Courthouse – Auburn
Master Clock
Photos taken 2008