Ripley County is named for Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, who was an officer in the War of 1812 and who fought at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in 1814.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Decatur County and Franklin County
E – Dearborn County and Ohio County
S – Switzerland County and Jefferson County
W – Jennings County
Created: December 27, 1816 
County Seat:
Marion 1818
Versailles 1818 – present
County Courthouse – Versailles
Location: 115 North Main Street / Tyson Street
Built: 1860 – 1861
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Thomas Pattison
Contractor: James L Yates
Description: The building faces east and is a three story red colored brick structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Versailles. The east front projects from the main building and rises to a pediment at the roof line. Above the pediment rises in tiers a square white colored wood clock tower. There are stone headers above the windows. In the interior on the first story there is a large stair hall in the east wing, Terrazzo floors, gray colored marble wainscoting and a spacious central hall. The second story contains the Circuit Court courtroom. The third story contains the Superior Court courtroom. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior Court of the 22nd Judicial District. The building was remolded in 1912 by Barringer and Tinulty of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1971 to 1971, the building was renovated with the addition of the third story. The architect was David B Hill and Associates of Seymour and the contractor was W A Gutzwiller. Exterior renovation were completed in 1992. The contractor was Howard J Barth & Associates, Inc.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Ripley County Courthouse
See: The 22nd Judicial District includes Dearborn County, Jefferson County, Ohio County and Switzerland County.
History: The county was created in 1816 and Marion was selected as the county seat in 1818. In the same year, the county seat was moved to Versailles. The first court met in the home of Benjamin Brown in 1818, The first courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by John A Prior and built by George Craig in 1821 to 1824 on the public square at a cost of $2000. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1860 to 1861 at a cost of $16,250. The 1971 to 1972 renovations cost $371,070.
County Courthouse – Versailles
Photos taken 2008