The Old Courthouse

The old courthouse (which is now the National Bank of the Commonwealth) is located at 601 Philadelphia Street in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The structure consists of a very old style of architecture, similar to that of sutton Hall on campus. It is seen today as a tall, red brick building with beige pillars, and elongated white windows. The roof is a base grey color with white trim and smaller windows. On top of the old courthouse sits a white cube-shaped room with white pillars and trim, surrounding grey glass which composes three windows on each side. attached to the top of the white room is a yellow conic structure containing a black clock with white trim on each side. There are silver spikes placed in unique places around the outside of the building that still remain from the old courthouse. They seem to line the outside windowsills of the building. It is surrounded by a green hedge and black fence that connects to thick concrete walls.

Reconstructed in 1870 after the first courthouse, it holds much history created in Indiana. The (original) courthouse was one of the first government establishments in the county of Indiana, Pennsylvania. While the courthouse was not built until 1809, Indiana was still deemed judicially organized in 1806 (Stephenson 157-158). The courthouse was propositioned by James McComb, general assembly member and resident of Indiana County. On January 30, 1804 he presented four petitions signed by Indiana County citizens. The demand for the courthouse was significant due to the inconvenience of citizens attending Greensburgh for court hearings (Stephenson 157-158). After being finished in 1809, the courthouse served multiple purposes. Functions included political meetings, general assembly forums, and even religious worships. The town lacked established churches, making the courthouse home to individuals of varying beliefs under one building until 1827 (Stephenson 157-158). The old courthouse was demolished and reconstructed in 1870 due to a newly desired modern one. It was also restored by the National Bank of the Commonwealth on January 3, 1972. The landmark is deemed historical as it was one of the first Indiana structures in the early nineteenth century. It served various functions and accommodated multiple historical events that should be remembered. It went through structural transformations over the timetable of Indiana and now rests as a fancy bank with a clock tower on top of it. It is assumed that it held significant value as it appears in Edward abbey's the Fool's Progress, on the Sixth Street mural, and in other historical references.

Dr. Cahalan, retired English professor of Indiana University of Pennsylvania explained that he actually received an extensive tour inside the old courthouse, given by a custodian around a decade ago. He described the first floor of the building as a very standard, modern bank with new carpeting and desks. The second floor of the building was the actual old courthouse so I asked him to elaborate on the details he remembered. He said, "above, at least when I was up there, that was like untouched. It looked the same; the courthouse, the judges chambers looked like they weren't touched for, at that point, 30 years." The judge's chambers were left exactly as they were. He also claimed that "it looked like something out of an old gothic novel." Another fascinating characteristic he found during the tour was the clock tower. Cahalan said, "if you go to the top, you can look out through the clock. It's like an eye that can look in each direction." The whole town of Indiana can be seen from the clock tower. It is supposedly now supported by scaffolding within the modern bank.