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108-553: The first statehouse , located in Corydon, Indiana , is still standing and is maintained as a state historic site. The second building was the old Marion County courthouse which was demolished and replaced in the early 20th century. The third building was a structure modeled on the Parthenon , but was condemned in 1877 because of structural defects and razed so the current statehouse could be built on its location. When Indiana became

216-655: A bed and breakfast inn in 1986–87. The property, which is located within the district, was listed separately on the National Register in 1987. The three-story county Harrison County Courthouse, which is located next to the Old Capitol, was completed in 1929. The Grand Masonic Lodge first organized in 1817 under the Grand Lodge of Kentucky; the Grand Lodge of Indiana organized in Madison in 1818. It

324-542: A canal commission to lay out the path of the canal, but no state funding was approved. The commission laid out a short six-mile (9.7 km) canal that would become the starting point of the Wabash and Erie Canal. Funding immediately became an issue in the legislature where the lowest cost estimate was $ 991,000. Again the southern part of the state objected, instead favoring a canal in the Whitewater Valley, then

432-410: A critical modernization of the state. Governor Noble considered the act his crowning achievement. Noble was concerned however that the assembly had not passed the 50% tax increase he had told them was necessary to take care of the debt the state was expecting to take. The bill created a Board of Improvement and a Board of Funds Commissioners to oversee the projects. Two thirds of the funds were spent on

540-646: A glass domed ceiling connects the four wings. The structure is four stories high. The first floor houses committee rooms for the House of Representatives and the Senate. The second floor houses the executive offices of the administration. On the third floor, offices for the Indiana House of Representatives are on the east side, while those for the Indiana State Senate are on the west side. Offices of

648-475: A new statehouse. The building was to be funded by the sale of lots of land in Indianapolis. A commission was established and Commissioner James Blake offered a $ 150 prize to the architect who could design the best state house. Twenty-one proposals were received, some from local firms and others from as far as the east coast ( New York and Philadelphia ) and the south ( Nashville, Tennessee ). The design from

756-669: A period of Democratic control of the General Assembly that lasted until the middle of the American Civil War . Despite the dire immediate effects on the state's finances, the project ultimately fed a 400% increase in state land values, and provided numerous other direct and indirect benefits to Indiana. The Wabash and Erie Canal , which was partially funded by the act, became the longest canal in North America and remained in operation until rendered obsolete by

864-460: A portion of the tree's preserved trunk, surrounded by a sandstone memorial. The Indiana General Assembly met for the first time at Corydon under the new constitution and state government on November 4, 1816, and Indiana was admitted as the nineteenth state in the Union on December 11, 1816. Corydon served as the first state capital of Indiana from 1816 to 1825, when the seat of state government

972-527: A state historic site in 1979. William Hendricks occupied the building from 1822 to 1825, when he was governor of Indiana . Hendricks was Indiana's first state representative to U.S. House of Representatives in 1816 and later served in the U.S. Senate . William A. Porter, a lawyer, judge, and politician, purchased the building in 1841. Judge Porter served in the Indiana legislature was speaker of Indiana House in 1847–48. The Constitution Elm commemorates

1080-581: A state in 1816, the capital was located in Corydon . The first capitol building was a humble, two-story limestone building constructed in 1813 to house the legislature of the Indiana Territory . The building was constructed by a company owned by Dennis Pennington , a member of the early territorial legislature. Construction cost $ 1,500 paid for by the citizens of Harrison County , and was completed in three years. It measured forty-feet square with walls two-feet-thick and ten-foot ceilings. The building

1188-480: A stretch of land 320 feet (98 m) wide on any route a commission would map out, but the state had to promise to begin construction of a canal on the land within twelve years. Many in the Indiana General Assembly considered the grant insufficient, and requested the grant be expanded to a one-mile (1.6 km) wide strip, but Congress did not act. Most of the population at the time lived along

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1296-410: A trickle of tax revenue. In hope to increase revenues, the state reformed property tax assessment to be based on property values, as opposed to a set amount per acre. The modest reform boosted revenues by 25% in the following year, but was still nowhere near enough to cover the gap. Governor Wallace announced to the General Assembly in his last year as governor that the state would be insolvent within

1404-467: A variety of mediums. Corydon Historic District The Corydon Historic District is a national historic district located in Corydon, Indiana , United States . The town of Corydon is also known as Indiana's First State Capital and as Historic Corydon . The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but the listing was amended in 1988 to expand

1512-470: A whole host of other implements to aid the caravan on its long journey. Colonel Samuel Merrill , the state treasurer, was authorized by the General Assembly to oversee the move. Ultimately, it took more than a month to relocate the government to Indianapolis. The first session of the General Assembly convened there in January 1825. On February 10, 1831, the Indiana General Assembly approved construction of

1620-451: A year. The 1841 budget had over $ 500,000 in debt payments, plus regular spending, but revenues that year were only $ 72,000. The state was unofficially bankrupt. The proponents of the system had promised their constituents that taxes would not need to be increased, and that once the projects were finished taxes could perhaps be abolished because tolls would pay all the state's needs. Because of this, no provisions had been made to pay interest on

1728-409: Is 10 feet (3.0 m) tall. The original building had a scale and balance on the roof as the symbol of justice, but they were removed in 1833 and replaced with a large bell. The construction cost of original building was approximately $ 3,000. Two large chimneys that accommodated the four fireplaces installed in both the upper and lower levels were closed up during later renovations. A wood floor covered

1836-401: Is 40 feet (12 m) square with walls 2.5 feet (0.76 m) thick. The exposed exterior of the building is not dressed, using only stones that were cut roughly square. The foundation, dug 3 feet (0.91 m) into the ground, is also 2.5 feet (0.76 m) thick. The lower level has 15-foot (4.6 m) ceilings, flagstone floors, and a barn rail made from hewn timber. The upper floor's ceiling

1944-571: Is also known as the Old Treasury Building. It housed state government offices, including the first state auditor's and treasurer's offices. The building was included in the initial historic district designation. It is located on Walnut Street, east of the Governor's Hendricks' Headquarters. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corporation began a major rehabilitation of this building in 2008. Governor Hendricks's Headquarters

2052-560: Is also part of the Corydon Capitol State Historic Site. Davis Floyd , a former treasurer and auditor of the Indiana Territory and a delegate to the constitutional convention in 1816, built the residence in 1817, when he was an Indiana state legislator. After Floyd lost the home during the financial Panic of 1819 , the state government purchased it to house the Indiana's governor. It opened as

2160-512: Is the oldest Masonic Lodge building in Indiana. Its founding members included State Senator Dennis Pennington ; Indiana first governor Jonathan Jennings ; State Representative Davis Floyd , and U.S. Congressman William Hendricks , among others. The present-day lodge building on Elm Street was erected in 1926. It is still used by Masons and the Order of the Eastern Star . Construction on

2268-514: The Battle of Corydon on July 9, 1863. The battle site, which is located outside of town, is listed separately on the National Register. The district's courthouse square also includes a memorial to the late Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon ; his father, Robert P. O'cannon; and grandfather, Lew O'cannon, all of whom were prominent in Corydon. Plans for the O'Bannon memorial on the southwest corner of

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2376-593: The Indiana Supreme Court are on the north end of the third floor. The seventy-thousand volume Supreme Court Law Library is located on third floor. The third floor also holds the House, Senate, and Supreme Court chambers, and the fourth floor holds the Indiana Court of Appeals courtroom and the offices of nine of the fifteen judges on the Court. The building was constructed for the purpose of holding

2484-564: The Italian Renaissance style. Wherever possible, materials native to Indiana were used. Doors were made of Indiana oak , and Indiana limestone was used throughout the structure. The building's cornerstone is a ten-ton block of limestone quarried in Spencer, Indiana . The central dome was completed in 1883. The building was also wired for electricity , even though Indianapolis did not yet have an electrical power grid . In 1887,

2592-714: The Wabash River in Peru to the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg known as the Whitewater Canal . Additional funding was granted to the Wabash and Erie Canal for expansion to Terre Haute . The canals received the majority of the funds from the bill, because it was believed that the canals could be constructed from local materials which would help boost the local economy. A later investigation showed that parts of

2700-529: The Civil War. In 1988, the administration of Governor Robert D. Orr proposed that the Indiana General Assembly renovate the statehouse as part of "Hoosier Celebration '88", the year of the building's 100th anniversary. The General Assembly approved, and the building had an extensive, $ 11 million renovation that continued until 1995. During the renovation process, all of the statehouse's stonework, consisting of marble, granite, and limestone columns and blocks,

2808-739: The Constitution Elm, the Posey House, the Westfall House, the Branham home/tavern, and the Kintner-McGrain House (named Cedar Glade). In 1989 the district was extended to Indian Creek in the north and west, east to College Avenue, and south to Little Indian Creek to include additional historic structures. The district's period of significance spans from 1808 to 1929. The district's boundary increase encompassed

2916-579: The Corydon Capitol State Historic Site, is administered by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. The two-story, Federal-style , limestone building served as Indiana's first state capitol from 1816 until 1825. The building was originally intended to serve as the Harrison County Courthouse. Construction began in 1814, when Corydon was the capital of the Indiana Territory. The building was nearly completed in 1816,

3024-429: The Corydon public schools were racially integrated , beginning in the 1950–51 school year. In 1987, the school was renamed for Leora Brown Farrow, the school's longest serving-teacher, who taught at school from 1924 until 1950. The school is located at the corner of Summit and Hill Streets, a block east of the district's amended boundary line that was established as part of the National Register listing in 1989. Although

3132-525: The Harrison County Courthouse and county government office building until 1929, when a new county courthouse was completed. In 1917, the State of Indiana purchased the Old Capitol building with the intention of preserving it. The restored building opened in 1929 and has since been preserved and protected as a memorial. The Old Capitol, sometimes referred to as the Corydon Capitol, was included within

3240-590: The Harrison County Courthouse, which the county government planned to build on Corydon's public square, could be used as an assembly building for the territorial legislature. Pennington was awarded the contract to supervise construction of the courthouse, which became known as the Old Capitol. In addition to its role as the capitol of the Indiana Territory, Corydon served as the site of a constitutional convention to consider statehood for Indiana in 1816. Forty-three delegates convened from June 10 to 29, 1816, to draft Indiana's first state constitution . Sources disagree on

3348-456: The Ohio River, and the canal would be little benefit to them, but they would bear the burden of paying for it, so their representatives opposed the idea altogether. They successfully barred the creation of a canal. On March 2, 1827, Congress made a new offer to the state, granting a half mile wide strip and to assist in the funding of construction. This time the General Assembly accepted the offer, passing legislation on January 5, 1828, to create

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3456-533: The Old Capitol, the centerpiece of the district. Corydon became the seat of government for the Indiana Territory when the territorial capital was moved from Vincennes , in Knox County , shortly after the outbreak of the War of 1812 . Dennis Pennington , a Harrison County representative and the speaker of the territorial legislature's lower house, helped secure Corydon's selection as the capital by pointing out that

3564-528: The Supreme Court. The governor and the executive staff relocated to another office building. The office building was used as the state house during the interim period that the new state house was being built. In 1887, before the new state house had been completed, enough of the lower floors were usable for the government to move out of the cramped office space and begin holding sessions in the new structure. With Indiana's rapid increase of population during

3672-646: The Vincennes Trace, and the paving of the remainder of the Michigan Road . Most of the money from the project was gathered by mortgaging nine million acres (36,000 km ) of state owned land through agents of the Bank of Indiana to creditors in London and New York. Governor Noah Noble was a major supporter of the bill and it passed by the overwhelmingly Whig controlled General Assembly, although it

3780-486: The administration of Governor James D. Williams proposed the construction of the current state capitol building. The plan was approved by the Indiana General Assembly during the legislative session of 1878. After the third state capitol building had been razed, the new building was constructed on the same site. Two million dollars ( USD ) were appropriated for construction of the new building, and it

3888-515: The building by the sale of the remaining lots of the donation grant of land that the Federal government had given the state for a capital city, but only $ 13,000 was received in the sale in May 1832, with the remaining unsold lots having an estimated value of only $ 3,650, meaning that other sources of funds were required. On the recommendation of Ithiel Town, the square block directly north of the statehouse

3996-410: The building was about to be condemned. Demolition of the building began on December 11, 1877, and was completed on March 12, 1878, with the razing of the last portion of the structure still standing, the dome. When the third statehouse was condemned in 1876, the government abandoned the building. The General Assembly relocated to a large office building that had been built in 1865 and was already housing

4104-475: The canals, with the Central Canal getting the most money. Jesse L. Williams was named chief engineer. From the early onset it was noted that the different projects did not work together, but instead competed with each other for funds and land. By trying to construct all the project at once, there was also a labor shortage and the projects began competing with each other for workers, significantly raising

4212-460: The case for all the projects. The Vincennes Trace was renamed the Paoli Pike, and operated for several years as a private toll road until repurchased by the state thirty years later. Its tolls covered its operating costs, but it was never profitable. The Central Canal was abandoned as a total loss, the expense to finish it was considered to be too great for any possible profitability, and the area

4320-452: The courthouse square were announced on May 22, 2007. It includes a lifesize bronze statue of Frank O'Bannon sitting on a limestone bench and three pillars honoring the O'Bannons. The memorial, which cost $ 200,000, was dedicated in June 2008. Because of its history as a territorial and state capital, Corydon sees an estimated 30,000 visitors each year. The Old Capitol building, a part of

4428-495: The creditors and sold to a group entrepreneurs, who were able to raise funds to complete the line. The Madison & Indianapolis Railroad was instantly profitable and went on to expand and connect to several other cities. In 2008, all that remains of the Wabash and Erie is a restored fifteen-mile (24 km) stretch and a few ponds. Much of the canal lands were sold to railroad companies and were excellent land for constructing rail lines. The turnpikes and railroads turned out to be

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4536-417: The debt, leaving the state owing $ 4.5 million and ending the financial crisis. Although the debt was significantly reduced, payment on it was still over half of the state budget, but the growing population of the state was quickly raising tax revenues. The creditors had taken the public works expecting that they could be quickly completed and become profitable, but were disappointed to discover that not to be

4644-572: The district's geographical boundaries and include additional sites. The district includes numerous historical structures, most notably the Old Capitol (Indiana's first state capitol building), the Old Treasury Building (Indiana's first state office building), Governor Hendricks' Headquarters, the Constitution Elm Memorial, the Posey House, the Kintner-McGrain House (Cedar Glade), and The Kintner House Inn , as well as other residential and commercial sites. Corydon, Indiana , which

4752-414: The eight structures from its early era as a territorial and state capital, as well as commercial and residential buildings constructed after 1825, including a new, three-story county Harrison County Courthouse that was completed in 1929. A historical marker erected on the Harrison County Courthouse lawn denotes the town's surrender to Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan 's raiders following

4860-547: The ell's second floor. The rear of the property included woods and a spring, as well as several outbuildings. A portion of the home was later demolished. The property passed through several owners until the Daughters of the American Revolution acquired it in 1925 and operated it as a local history museum through 1999. The Posey home was acquired by the State of Indiana in 2000, but it remained vacant until it

4968-513: The entire government of the state. Indiana is one of a few states that still have all three branches of government operating in the same historic building. For several decades, all the government bureaus were housed within the building, until the government again outgrew the structure; most of the state's bureaus have gradually been moved out of the building. In front of the State House stands a statue of Oliver Morton , governor of Indiana during

5076-503: The entire history of the state. The sum borrowed was equal to one-sixth of all the wealth in the state. Despite the scale of the project, the representatives from the counties on the Ohio River still largely opposed the project. For canals, the project called for the creation of a canal from Indianapolis to Ohio River at Evansville , called the Indiana Central Canal . Funding was included for another canal to connect

5184-404: The exact location of the gathering. Because the courthouse was not completed at that time, the delegates met at "the courthouse on the hill," which may have referred to a nearby log home that the territorial government had rented. Cramped conditions and the summer heat caused the men to gather under a giant elm tree , which was later named the Constitution Elm. The town's historic district includes

5292-480: The firm of Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis was selected by the commission and then approved by the General Assembly on January 26, 1832. Their plans were for a structure inspired by the ancient Greek Parthenon . The building looked very much like the Parthenon except for a large central dome. Town and Davis was awarded a $ 58,000 contract to construct the building. The legislature had anticipated paying for

5400-417: The first state constitutional convention that was held from June 10 to 29, 1816, when forty-three delegates convened at Corydon to discuss statehood for the territory and draft a state constitution for Indiana. The cramped conditions of the log cabin in which the constitution convention was held, along with the summer heat, caused the delegates to gather outdoors under the branches of a nearby elm tree , which

5508-524: The government was housed in the Marion County Courthouse. The courthouse had been constructed with state funds in 1822 after Indianapolis was chosen as the site for the new capitol. The courthouse served as the state capitol building for ten years. At the time Indianapolis was a frontier site, nearly 60 miles (97 km) from the nearest settlement of significance, making large scale construction impractical. The relocation to Indianapolis

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5616-405: The grade into Madison. The Vincennes Trace was paved from New Albany to Paoli at a cost of $ 1,150,000, with another 75 miles (121 km) still requiring pavement when the project ran out of money. The Panic of 1837 , caused primarily by western land speculation, left the state in dire straits financially. Income shrank, and in 1838 the state's taxation revenue was $ 45,000, but the interest on

5724-473: The greatest debacles in the history of Indiana. Public blame was placed on the Whig party who had been in control of the General Assembly and the governorship during the passage of the act and the subsequent bankruptcy, though only nine members of both houses voted against the bill. After the scope of the financial disaster became apparent to the state, the Whig party gradually began to collapse in Indiana, leading to

5832-534: The growth of the state government meant that the statehouse was too small. An article in the Indianapolis News on January 30, 1877, summed up the problems, noting that it "is too small if it were good, and it is too bad if it were big enough". A debate was held in 1873 about how to preserve the building but no solution was found. By the time that James D. Williams was elected governor in November 1876,

5940-413: The house. Colonel Posey never married, but he raised fourteen orphans in the home. The majority of the two-story brick home was built between 1817 and 1818. It was constructed in three stages: the main house; a wing used as offices, a store, and a cabinet shop; and a two-story ell at the rear of the home that housed a dining room, kitchen, pantry, smokehouse, and woodshed. Servant quarters were located on

6048-415: The interest payments, and all the projects, except the largest canal, were handed over to the state's London creditors in exchange for a 50% reduction in debt. Again in 1846, the last project was handed over for another 50% reduction in the debt. Of the eight projects in the measure, none were completed by the state and only two were finished by the creditors who took them over. The act is considered one of

6156-586: The legislature occupied the upper floor, with each house in its own wing. During its first session in the new building, the legislature passed the Internal Improvement Act of 1836 (often known as the Mammoth Improvement Act) that funded several projects, including turnpikes , canals , and later, railroads . The building was the site of many great events in its history, including a bier for Abraham Lincoln . The statehouse

6264-541: The majority of the population that lived along the Ohio River, the bill called for the Vincennes Trace to be paved, making it usable year round. A Lafayette Turnpike was also approved, and to gain support of the representatives from the population centers in the far northern part of the state, the Michigan Road was also paved. To appease the railroad faction, two lines were approved connecting Lawrenceburg to Indianapolis, and Madison to Lafayette. The Whitewater Valley

6372-404: The massive debt. In 1841 Governor Samuel Bigger proposed the creation of county boards to set property values. The result of the new system led to as much as a 400% tax increase in some parts of the state. Citizens decried the draconian tax hikes, and many refused to pay. The General Assembly was forced to repeal the system the following year. James Lanier , president of the Bank of Indiana,

6480-403: The middle of the 19th century, the state's government increased in size, causing the previous capitol building to become crowded. In 1865, a state office building had to be constructed to house some of the burgeoning government, and the Supreme Court and several bureaus were relocated into the new building. When the statehouse was condemned in 1877, the state was without a real capitol building, and

6588-456: The mistakes made in the construction of the previous statehouse, the legislature required the new capitol to be built on a solid foundation so that it would last for many decades. Construction began in 1880 and the cornerstone was laid on September 28. Edwin May died in February of that year, and Adolph Scherer supervised the project for the entire construction period. The interior was modeled in

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6696-448: The most populated part of the state. Governor James B. Ray objected to canals as a total waste of money, and insisted on the creation of railroads instead; he threatened a veto of any canal project. Because the state refused to help fund the project, it had to rely on the federal funds and the income the commission collected from selling lands adjacent to the proposed canal route. Slowly enough funds were collected and construction began on

6804-399: The most successful projects, and some parts of them have remained in use until modern times. Although the government lost millions, there were significant benefits for the areas of the state where the projects succeeded. On average, land value in the state rose 400%, and the cost of shipping goods for farmers was drastically decreased, and increasing the profit on their goods. The investors in

6912-459: The new capitol was sufficiently finished for the first legislative session to be held there. Construction ultimately endured eight years, and the building was finally completed in October 1888. With the pinnacle of the building reaching 256 feet (78 m) high, it was the second-tallest building in the state at the time of its completion. A hole was bored in the cornerstone, and a time capsule

7020-572: The original boundaries of the Corydon Historic District when it was listed on the National Register in 1973. The building has been restored as closely as possible to its original appearance, including furniture and paint colors. In 2015, a major restoration project was completed on the town square to protect the Old Capitol building from water damage, to update the electrical system and landscaping, and to install new walkways. The first state office building, which dates from 1817,

7128-539: The original flagstone floor. When Corydon became the state capital of Indiana in 1816, the Old Capitol building served as the seat of state government. The Indiana Supreme Court and the Indiana Senate were located on the upper level; the Indiana House of Representatives met on the first floor. After 1825, when the state capital was moved to Indianapolis , the Old Captol building continued to be used as

7236-489: The original owners of the home when its construction began in 1817. Colonel Posey was the son of Thomas Posey , governor of the Indiana Territory from 1813 to 1816. Colonel Posey, who was active in Harrison County's civic affairs, served as the county treasurer (1818–24) and was appointed adjutant general of Indiana in 1823. He used one room as his office and operated a dry-goods and cabinet shop in another portion of

7344-420: The originally projected labor costs. This posed a problem for the government, because they did not provide enough funds to complete each of the projects at the rates being paid, instead expecting them to start making money on their own, and funding their own completion. There was a brief by Governor David Wallace to attempt to force the commission to only build one route at a time to conserve funds and avoid what

7452-413: The project was out of money. The Whitewater Canal was proceeding along well until its earthen walls and feeder dams were the victims of muskrats who burrowed through the walls, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for which there was no money to repair. At the height of the operation, over ten thousand workers were employed on the canal projects. The rail line from Madison to Indianapolis

7560-624: The project, and in response to the closure of the Second Bank of the United States , the state established the Bank of Indiana . Bonds were issued through the bank who then sold them to creditors in London to fund the early stages of the project, but it soon became apparent that it would take far more funds than could be obtained by the bank bonds alone. In 1836, legislation was created by the Indiana General Assembly to dramatically expand

7668-399: The projects and work was halted. Work only continued on the Wabash and Erie where workers were paid with stock in the canal, and not cash, and supplies were purchased using the federal funding. At that time 140 miles (230 km) of canal had been built for $ 8 million, and $ 1.5 million spent on 70 miles (110 km) of railroad and turnpike. The state was left with a $ 15 million debt, and only

7776-407: The projects from the beginning, was elected governor. A Democratic majority had already came to power in the statehouse the year before. With their support he began negotiations to end the crisis. Charles Butler arrived from New York to negotiate on behalf of the state's creditors in 1846. The proposed deal was for the state to trade majority ownership of the Wabash and Erie for another 50% reduction in

7884-560: The railroads in the 1880s. When the state of Indiana was formed in 1816, it was still a virtual wilderness, and settlement was limited to the southern periphery where easy access to the Ohio River provided a convenient means to export produce. The only significant road in the region was the Buffalo Trace , an old, dirt bison trail that crossed the southern part of the state. After statehood several plans had been made to improve

7992-475: The route in 1831. In 1829 the National Road entered Indiana. Funded by the federal government, the project laid a large highway across the central part of the state. By 1834 the opposition to the canal had disappeared and the project was being constructed at little cost to the state and was proving to be profitable, so the General Assembly granted funds to the project to connect it to Lafayette. To fund

8100-481: The school was added to Indiana's Register of Historic Places in 1992 and is recognized with a state historical marker, it is not listed as a separate property in the National Register as of 2016. The building was converted to a cultural center in 1993. Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act The Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act was a law passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Whig Governor Noah Noble in 1836 that greatly expanded

8208-477: The school, which was originally known as the Corydon Colored School, began in 1891. It served as a primary and secondary school for the community's black students. The first graduation of high school students from the school occurred on May 14, 1897. In 1949, the Indiana General Assembly passed an act to desegregate Indiana's public schools by 1954. The Corydon Colored School closed in 1950, when

8316-446: The scope of the internal improvements. At first, members only intended to continue funding the Wabash and Erie, but many representatives opposed the spending because it would have little benefit for their own constituents as the canal bypassed most of the major settlements in the state. As a compromise, additional projects were agreed on so that all the cities in the state would be connected by either canal, railroad, or turnpike. To appease

8424-496: The state could afford. On January 13, 1845, the General Assembly passed a resolution issuing an official apology to the state's creditors and the state and federal governments of the United States for the repudiation of large parts of their debt. The resolution stated "We regard the slightest breach of plighted faith, public or private, as an evidence of a want of that moral principle upon which all obligations depend: That when any state in this Union refuses to recognize her great seal as

8532-407: The state were entirely unsuited for the canals, and the project were doomed from the start. However, the state had not conducted surveys of the land before passing the bill to ensure their suitability. The bill also funded, but to a much lesser degree, a railroad connecting Madison to Indianapolis, another railroad from Shelbyville to Indianapolis, the paving of the Buffalo Trace and renaming it

8640-576: The state with a modest debt. The 1820s were spent repairing the state's finances and paying down the debt. A request was sent to Congress asking for the federal government to assist the young state in improving the transportation situation. Canals were at that time being constructed in several of the eastern states and New York and Pennsylvania hoped to link to the Mississippi River System by building canals through Indiana. With their support, on May 26, 1824, Congress granted Indiana

8748-400: The state's growing debt was $ 193,350. Governor Wallace made the startling report to the General Assembly who began to wrangle over what action should be taken. Provisions were made to make debt payments with more borrowed money, in the hope that the projects could be finished before the state's credit was maxed out. The gamble proved to be a bad decision and by 1839 there was no money left for

8856-474: The state's program of internal improvements . It added $ 10 million to spending and funded several projects, including turnpikes , canals , and later, railroads . The following year the state economy was adversely affected by the Panic of 1837 and the overall project ended in a near total disaster for the state, which narrowly avoided total bankruptcy from the debt. By 1841, the government could no longer make

8964-401: The success of canals in the eastern United States , it was believed that the projects would be very profitable for the state and that their revenue would quickly pay back the loans, and provide the funds to complete the projects. The state's regular revenue, primarily from property taxes, were at that time less than $ 65,000 annually, and the amount of the debt was greater than the tax receipts of

9072-427: The sufficient evidence of her obligation she will have forfeit her station in the sisterhood of States, and will no longer be worthy of their respect and confidence." The governor was directed to forward copies of the apology to each of the states. The result of the repudiation ruined Indiana's credit for nearly twenty years. The Whigs suffered from the failure of the project and Democrat James Whitcomb, an opponent of

9180-622: The transportation situation, like the creation of small local roads, the larger Michigan Road , and a failed attempted by the Indiana Canal Company to build a canal around the Falls of the Ohio . The national economy entered a recession following the Panic of 1819 , and the state's only two banks collapsed in the immediate years that followed, ending the state's early improvement programs without having achieved much success and leaving

9288-402: The west, Market Street on the north, and Tennessee Street (now Capitol Avenue) on the east. It was oriented north–south, with entrances on the north and south. The east and west sides were 180 feet (55 m) long while the north and south sides were 80 feet (24 m). The statehouse was built of blue limestone, two stories high. The governor and the Supreme Court occupied the lower floor, and

9396-483: The year that Indiana was granted statehood and its first state legislature convened at Corydon. The building was primarily used as an assembly building for the territorial and state legislatures, but the county government and district courts occasionally used it when the Indiana General Assembly was not in session. Dennis Pennington, who became the state's first speaker of the Indiana Senate after statehood in 1816, supervised its construction. The two-story building

9504-503: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places , and it remains a protected building. The state house is open for public tours during the work week and with limited tours during weekend mornings. Located inside and around the Statehouse property are more than 40 works of public art that depict many important individuals and events related to the state of Indiana. The collection spans more than 130 years of artistic activity in

9612-452: Was an arduous task. At the time it was an eleven-day journey by horseback from Corydon to the new capital. To complicate matters, no road existed and a path for the wagons had to be cut through the dense forests during the winter transit as the long caravan moved north. The caravan was large because it contained the state treasury, state library, state records, the furniture of the General Assembly, Supreme Court, and Executive Offices, along with

9720-399: Was becoming seen as an impending financial disaster, but the different factions in the General Assembly could not agree on which line should be completed first. The Wabash and Erie Canal was the most successful of the canal projects, and was profitable early on, but never to the extent expected. The Central Canal was a major failure, with only a few miles of canal dug near Indianapolis before

9828-479: Was built much more cheaply than the canals; $ 1.3 million was appropriated. It was however, considerably over budget due to the increased costs of having to build a grade out of the low lying Ohio Valley onto the Indiana table land, so the project could not be finished. Had the project instead started in Indianapolis, it would have been able to earn income on freight and passengers along the relatively flat central Indiana portion, and been able to fund itself to construct

9936-473: Was cleaned and polished. All of the building's woodwork was repaired or replaced. Broken glass in the central dome skylight was replaced. The building's lighting was updated with new chandeliers based on the original designs, and most interior walls were repainted. The building was wired for a new data network to make the building ready for 21st-century technology. In 1984, the Indiana Statehouse

10044-409: Was completed in 1888. Governor Williams, who was famed for his frugality, was able to complete the project for $ 1.8 million and returned the extra $ 200,000 to the general fund. A team of commissioners, including former Civil War general and civil engineer Thomas A. Morris , planned and oversaw the project. The structure was designed by Edwin May , an Indianapolis architect. Not wanting to repeat

10152-470: Was donated to the Historical Society of Harrison County in 2012. The Westfall House, a log cabin located near the Constitution Elm, is the oldest extant building in Corydon. The home is privately owned and not open to the public. William Branham began operating a tavern on the site in 1809 in a structure originally built in 1800. Originally known as Cedar Glade, the Kintner-McGrain House

10260-417: Was finally completed in 1848 and continued to operate for thirty-two years, but the high-rise portions of the canal in the central part of the state were found to be high maintenance and the frequent victim of muskrats. The cost of upkeep, and competition from the railroad eventually led to the collapse of the canal and its company in the 1870. The rail line from Madison to Indianapolis was also abandoned by

10368-419: Was found to be unsuited for canals. The Whitewater Canal had about one fifth of the line completed, and although it was not finished, the existing portion remained in use until 1847 when a portion of the canal collapsed and rendered the northern section unusable. The southern section continued in use until 1865 when it was closed after losing traffic to a railroad built adjacent to the canal. The Wabash and Erie

10476-503: Was later memorialized as the Constitution Elm. It has been estimated that the giant elm was 50 feet (15 m) tall with a trunk that measured 5 feet (1.5 m) across and branches that spread more than 132 feet (40 m). Dutch elm disease destroyed the tree in 1925; however, the trunk has been preserved. It is protected by a sandstone memorial. The Posey home was included in the district's original National Register designation in 1973. Allan D. Thom and Thomas Lloyd Posey were

10584-480: Was made of limestone cut from a nearby quarry and, at the time of its completion, was one of the largest buildings in the state. The capitol contained three rooms and quickly became too small for the state government, which had to erect additional office buildings across the street for the state's administration. The lower floor of the statehouse was used by the Indiana House of Representatives. The upper floor

10692-533: Was moved to Indianapolis. When the historic district was first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the area encompassed eight sites that existed when Corydon became the capital of Indiana in 1816. These include the Old Capitol building (Harrison County Courthouse), along with the public square surrounding it, Indiana's first state office building (also known as the Old Treasury Building), Governor William Hendricks' Headquarters,

10800-476: Was opposed by several prominent legislators including Dennis Pennington , James Whitcomb , Calvin Fletcher and John Durmont. Pennington believed the canals were a waste of money and would soon be made obsolete by the railroads. Whitcomb outright rejected the idea of spending such a large sum of money, saying it would be impossible to pay back. The bill's passage met with statewide celebrations. Citizens saw it as

10908-402: Was placed inside containing forty-two items. The items included annual reports from all the government agencies, a Bible , samples of several varieties of crops grown in Indiana, several new coins, local maps and newspapers, a book on the history of Indianapolis , and pamphlets from many of the city's institutions. The building is designed in the shape of a cross. A large central rotunda with

11016-408: Was platted in 1808, continues to serve as the county seat of government for Harrison County, Indiana . The town served as the second capital of the Indiana Territory from 1813 to 1816, but it is best known for its service as the first capital of Indiana from 1816 to 1825. Some of the most significant structures within the historic district date from this early period of the town's history, including

11124-403: Was popular immediately after its construction, but by the 1860s Greek Revival architecture had fallen out of style and the building was beginning to become decrepit. The building's limestone (and perhaps, slate) foundation began to fail, and many feared a general structural collapse of the building. In 1867, the ceiling in the chambers of the Indiana House of Representative collapsed. In addition,

11232-420: Was sent by Governor Bigger to negotiate with the state's London creditors in a hope to avoid total bankruptcy in 1841. He negotiated the transfer of all of the projects, except the Wabash and Erie, to the creditors in exchange for a 50% reduction in the debt they held, lowering the total state debt to $ 9 million. Although the debt decrease lessened the strain on the state, the debt payment was still far more than

11340-624: Was split into two rooms, one for the Indiana State Senate and another for the Indiana Supreme Court, with a narrow hall between them. Upon the relocation of the state government to Indianapolis in 1824, the building was given to Harrison County to use as a courthouse. The old capitol building is still preserved and is now a state historic site . When the state government relocated to Indianapolis in December 1824,

11448-522: Was the home of Jacob Kintner, who built the Greek Revival -style residence in 1808 near Indian Creek. Kintner's heirs sold the property in 1849 to Thomas McGrain Sr. The Kintner House Hotel , completed in 1873, originally had twenty-six rooms for guests on its upper floor. It was converted to apartments in the early twentieth century and was used for other commercial purposes until it was renovated into

11556-454: Was the most populous part of the state, and to win over their representatives, funding was added for a canal to be built in their valley. To also get support from the central part of the state, and to connect Indianapolis to the new canals, a Central Canal was also funded. Over $ 2 million had already been borrowed, and the new bill proposed borrowing another $ 10 million. This was added to the $ 3 million already procured through land sales. Seeing

11664-404: Was withheld from the sale for future use by the state, which was proved fortuitous when the current statehouse was constructed on both squares. The contract set a 1838 deadline for completion, but construction was completed ahead of schedule, being mostly done by December 1835. The building was centered in the square defined by Washington Street on the south, Mississippi Street (now Senate Avenue) on

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