Fayette County is named for Marie Joseph Paul Lafayette, who was a French general who fought in the American Revolutionary War and who lived from 1757 to 1834.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Henry County and Wayne County
E – Union County
S – Franklin County
W – Rush County
Created: December 28, 1818 
County Seat:
Connersville 1819 – present
County Courthouse – Connersville
Location: 401 Central Avenue / West 4th Street
Built: 1847 – 1849 / 1890 – 1891
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Architect: John Elder / W F Kaufman of Richmond
Contractor: John Elder / Dorrus Ready & Company
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The original building was designed and built by John Elder in 1847 to 1849 and rebuilt in 1890 to 1891. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Connersville. On the southeast corner is a large round brick clock tower with conical roof. The east front rises to a peaked roof line. A smaller tower is on the northeast corner. In the interior of the old section, the building retains many of its historic features, both from the 1840s and from the 1890 rebuilding. Industrial tile floors, plaster walls, oak moldings, and gray colored marble wainscoting are common throughout the pre-1945 portion of the building. From the main entrance, visitors reach a double loaded corridor on the first floor, running north and south nearly the width of the building. There are similar staircases at either north or south end of the corridor, reached by passing through a broad plaster segmental arch. The second story has the main county courtroom extending the width of the front gabled projection. There are furring strips and mounted dark masonite wood paneling on the walls. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior Court of the 18th Judicial District. The architect was W F Kaufman of Richmond and the contractor was Dorrus Ready & Company. Additions have been added on the west side.
See: The courthouse is the second oldest courthouse ( 1849 ) in Indiana with the oldest located in Ohio County ( 1845 ) and the third oldest located in Orange County ( 1850 ).
See: National Register of Histortic Places – Fayette County Courthouse
See: The 18th Judicial District includes Franklin County, Rush County, Union County and Wayne County.
History: The county was created in 1818 and Connersville was selected as the county seat in 1819. The first courthouse was built by Jonathon John in 1822 at a cost of $1,262. The second courthouse was designed and built by John Elder in 1847 to 1849 at a cost of $20,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1890 to 1891 when the previous courthouse was rebuilt at a cost of $36,192.
County Courthouse - Connersville
Photos taken 2008