Elkhart County is named for the Elkhart Indian tribe, or after an island in the St. Joseph River that was shaped like the heart of an elk which the French named “heart of the stag” which became “Elkhart”, or named after Shawnee Chief Elkhart.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Cass County, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan
E – LaGrange County
S – Kosciusko County
W – Marshall County and Saint Joseph County
Created: April 1, 1830 
County Seat:
Dunlap 1830 – 1831
Goshen 1831 – present
County Courthouse – Goshen
Location: 101 North Main Street / West Lincoln Avenue
Built: 1868 – 1870
Style: Renaissance Revival
Architect: J H Barrow and George O Garnsey of Chicago, Illinois
Contractor: Elkhart County
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of Courthouse Square in the center of Goshen. The building has a large portico on the east and west sides with three arches on the first story and four columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The north and south wings are lower. A balustrade runs along the roof line of the center section of the building. On the center of the roof is a large clock tower with red colored dome and small green colored cupola at the top. The building houses the County Circuit Court and the County Superior Court of the 5h Judicial District. The building was redesigned in 1909 by architect Patton and Miller of Chicago, Illinois and the contractor was P H McCormick of Columbus.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Elkhart County Courthouse
See: The 5th Judicial District includes Kosciusko County and Marshall County.
History: The county was created in 1830 and Dunlap in was designated as the county seat.. The court first met in the homes of Mr. Duzenbury, Chester Sage and Thomas Tomas between 1831 to 1833. The county seat was moved to Goshen in 1833. The first courthouse was erected by Henry Davis and Jacob Studebaker in 1833. The courthouse was razed in 1868 and the second and present courthouse was constructed in 1868 to 1870 at a cost of $125,000.
County Courthouse – Elkhart
Location: 315 South 2nd Street / West Franklin Street
Built: 1993 – 1994
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a two story white colored concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Elkhart. The east front has a central entrance with a slightly projecting section rising above the roof line and having a recessed entrance. The second story overhangs the recessed first story. There are few windows and roof line is flat. The building is connected on the west side with a two story red colored brick structure built in 1910 to 1911 as the Elkhart High School. The architect was E Hill Turnock.
County Courthouse – Goshen
County Courthouse – Elkhart
Photos taken 2008