Owen County is named for Abraham Owen, who was a colonel and who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Putnam County and Morgan County
E – Morgan County and Monroe County
S – Greene County
W – Clay County
Created: December 21, 1818 
County Seat:
Lancaster 1819 – 1820
Spencer 1820 – present
County Courthouse – Spencer
Location: 60 South Main Street / Franklin Street
Built: 1910 – 1911
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Jesse Townsend Johnson of Indianapolis
Contractor: Christian Kanzier & Son of Evansville
Description: The building faces west and is a three story light brown colored stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Spencer. The west front has a recessed entrance with small balcony above. There is a large window on the second story. A cornice runs below the roof line. On the center of the roof is a round green colored dome with clocks on each side. All of the doors, trim and moldings in the courthouse are made of oak. The baseboards however, are marble. The stairways are of cast iron construction with ornate iron balustrade in a geometric design. The geometric design of the balustrade is the same from the first story to the third story. The banisters and newel posts are all constructed of iron with oak railings. The courtroom is centrally located on the west side of the third story and has a spacious high-ceilinged room with more ornate pilasters than any other place in the courthouse. The capital of the twenty foot high columns is a cartouche with leaf and circular shapes surrounding it, ending with folded draped patterns on either side of the base of the capital. A stylized vine pattern is used briefly just below the capital outlined by the same rectangular classical ornamentation used throughout the courthouse. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 20th Judicial District.
See: National Register opf Historic Places – Owen County Courthouse
See: The 20th Judicial District includes Greene County, Lawrence County and Monroe County.
History: The county was created in 1818 and Lancaster was selected as the county seat in 1819. In the same year, the county seat was moved to Spencer. The first court met in the home of John Dunn. The first courthouse was a log structure erected in 1820. The second courthouse was a brick structure designed by James Galletly and built in 1825 at a cost of $750. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1910 to 1911 at a cost of $106,000.
County Courthouse – Spencer
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008