Corydon Historic District - Sites

Sites

The centerpiece of the district is a two-story Federal-style limestone building that was once the capitol of Indiana from 1816-1825, and is now part of the Corydon Capital State Historic Site administered by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corporation. It was originally intended to double as the county courthouse; the county would occasionally use the capitol when the state government was not in session.

Next to the old capitol is the Harrison County Courthouse. Between the two buildings, historical markers denote John Hunt Morgan's capture of the town in July 1863. It sees 30,000 visitors every year. Protected by a sandstone memorial is the Constitution Elm. In 1816 the trunk was five feet across, with branches spreading out 132 feet (40 m). Due to the heat of the capitol building, much of the deliberations for creating the Indiana state government and the writing of the constitution was under its branches. Dutch elm disease destroyed the tree in 1925, leaving only the trunk. The First State Office Building is located directly east of the Governor's Headquarters on Walnut Street. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corporation began a major rehabilitation of this building in 2008.

On May 22, 2007, plans were announced to build a memorial to late Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon on the southwest corner of the courthouse square, which is 20 feet (6.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) and have a life-sized likeness of O'Bannon in bronze on a limestone bench, with three pillars honoring O'Bannon, his father, and his grandfather, all of whom were prominent in Corydon. The memorial cost $200,000 and was unveiled in June 2008. Officials in Indianapolis now plan to replace much of the town square with a concrete walkway complete with interpretive markers.

The Kintner House Hotel is within the district, but is listed separately on the National Register. The Leora Brown School is located on Summit Street and is the oldest standing African-American school in Indiana. The Kintner-McGrain House, also called Cedar Glade, is located on the north side of the district on the bank of the Indian Creek. Behind the Constitution Elm is a log cabin which is the Westfall House, the oldest building still standing in Corydon. The cabin is privately owned and not open to the public.