Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse at 201 NW 4th St.; Holy Trinity Catholic Church at 211 NW 3rd St., originally 12-16 Upper 3rd St.; German M.E. (Methodist Episcopal) Church at 202 NW 4th St., formerly 25 Upper 4th St.; Sheriff's Residence and Jail at 208 NW 4th St., formerly 15 Upper 4th St. "The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse is considered by architectural historians to be one of the most important examples of 19th century governmental architecture in the country. It was designed by Henry Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and exemplifies Beaux Arts architecture which was just coming into vogue at the time of the Courthouse�s design, replacing heavier Victorian styles. Wolters himself studied at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. It occupies a full city block bound by Fourth, Vine, Fifth and Court streets in downtown Evansville which was once a turnaround basin for the Wabash and Erie Canal. Franz Engelsmann of Chicago is credited with carving the fourteen main statues that surround the courthouse. Much about the history of Vanderburgh County can be gleaned from the sculptures which were all carved onsite. The building is constructed of Bedford Stone, limestone native to Indiana, and the interior boasts marble floors, Ettewa pink marble wainscots, slate stairs and wrought iron and brass handrails. At its tallest point, 216 feet, the courthouse�s bell tower dominates the skyline of Downtown Evansville. Construction on the courthouse began in 1888 and was completed by 1890 at a cost of $379,450. County government personnel started moving into the courthouse in early 1891. The courthouse was the epicenter of community life and for the big events of its day. The Commissioners room served as the military headquarters during the 1937 flood when martial law was declared and the courthouse was a stop on the campaign trail for President Harry Truman in 1948 and John F. Kennedy in 1960. Both gave speeches from the courthouse steps. The building was vacated in 1969 when county government offices were moved to the new Civic Center Complex. (https://oldvanderburghcourthouse.com/about-the-old-courthouse/) Holy Trinity was built in 1849-1851, and the steeple seen here added in 1873. A fire destroyed the church on Easter weekend April 3, 1950. Lightning struck the building overnight, and it burned to the ground. Services were temporarily held in the former school building until the present church was built. (The new church is very plain and modern and looks nothing like this."In the year 1843, a group of German Methodists held their first meetings in a public inn. Explanatory notes accompanying records of that group advise that the inn-keeper was converted and became one of the fifteen charter members. In 1844, the first real church for this group was built on Vine Street, the site the same as the old fire station building across the alley from the Courier and Press building. This German Methodist congregation grew in number and influence and purchased a lot at the corner of Fourth and Vine Streets in 1865. A church and parsonage were built on this lot at a cost of $37,624.00. It was known as the Fourth Street M. E. Church and furnished religious inspiration for the congregation until the comparatively recent year 1937. At that time, County officials advised the Official Board and Trustees that the County wanted to buy the buildings to make them an annex to the County Courthouse. Since the location had become an almost entirely business area, and since membership and influence had been declining somewhat, it was the decision of the church authorities to sell, at a price of $46,000.00. Final services for the Fourth Street M. E. Church were conducted on Palm Sunday, March 21, 1937. A merger agreement had been reached between the membership of the Fourth Street M. E. Church and the Bayard Park Methodist Church at the time the decision was made to give up the Fourth Street location. (http://www.methodisttemple.church/contentpages/42167/edc41350-782f-4c4f-a144-36cb8c390b6f/OurHistory.aspx) The building seen here was razed in 1973. The old jail was built in 1891 and modeled after the Lichtenstein Castle in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, this building also housed the sheriff. It was intentionally designed to be intimidating. The old courthouse is across the street, and the two are connected by a via a tunnel. This building still stands, but today houses a law firm. This is postcard A4049.