County of square: Posey County
Locatio of square: 300 Main St., Mt. Vernon
The Courthouse:
Modern information on the renovation of Courthouse and other important buildings
"The first recorded white man to come to Posey County was Tom Jones in 1794. Posey County was named in honor of Thomas Posey Governor of the Indiana Territory at the time it was created on Sept. 7,1814. After several changes the present boundary lines were fixed in 1823.
"The first horse-powered mill was built in 1810 by James Black. The first county seat was Blackford in Jan. 1815, and the first court was held in Blackford in Oct. 1816. The County seat was moved to Mt. Vernon in 1825. The seal of Posey County, adopted in 1835, was in honor of William Henry Harrison.
"The Plank Road with toll gates was built between New Harmony and Mt. Vernon in 1851. The first woman's club in the United States was the Minerva Society, organized in New Harmony in 1859. The first railroad line through Posey County was the St. Louis and Southern in 1869.
"The present court house was built in 1867 at a cost of $95,000. The first judge of Posey County Circuit Court was Isaac Blackford, The County Clerk and Recorder was William E. Stewart, the Treasurer was Samuel Jones, the Auditor was Thomas F. Prosser, and the Sheriff was John Carson.
"Posey County's most famous town, New harmony, was the site of two experiments in communal living; first under Father Rapp, The Harmony Society from 1814 to 1824, and then under Robert Owen from 1825 to 1860." ~ Mount Vernon Civitan Club
The Monument:
County of statue: Posey County
Location of statue: 4th St. & Main St., courthouse lawn, Mount Vernon
Artist: F. M. Young, sculptor & Rudolf Schwarz, 1866-1912, sculptor
Founder: Schwarz Foundry
Contractors: Marr and Gordon & Frank D. Werking
Architect: Young & Lipe Company
Fabricator: Charles G. Blake Company
Bronze Plaques on Monument:
(Front Base [west side]):
TO
THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
OF
POSEY COUNTY
Dedicated July Twenty Third, 1908.
(Rear Base [east side]):
"A PATRIOTISM
WHICH READILY RESPONDS TO ITS COUNTRY'S CALL;
A DEEP REVERENCE FOR THE LAWS;
AND A DECENT RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS
OF OTHERS;
A SINCERE LOVE OF JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND COUNTRY
ARE THE
BEST SAFEGUARDS OF A NATION'S PEACE."
Proper Description:
"A bronze Goddess of Liberty stands holding a flag aloft in her proper right hand atop a tall stone column, with four bronze military soldiers at each corner of the base. Liberty is seen in classical dress. The granite column on which she stands is topped with a limestone Corinthian capital and has a limestone tiered base, with three columns. Mounted on each corner of the base is a Civil War soldier--an infantryman on the southwest; a sailor on the northwest; an artilleryman on the southeast; and a cavalry man on the northeast." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
Remarks:
"The sculpture cost approximately $14,000. It was installed by the citizens of Posey County in memory of the soldiers and sailors of Posey County who fought during the Civil War. A six cent tax levy on personal property financed the sculpture. The project was spearheaded by Christian Dannheiser, a county resident who prompted the local Grand Army Post to take up the matter. The sculpture was designed by architect F. M. Young of Young & Lipe Company of Litchfield, Illinois. Rudolf Schwarz molded and cast the bronze figures at Schwarz Foundry. The base was fabricated and installed by the Charles G. Blake Company and cut by Marr and Gordon of Barre, Vermont. Builder Frank D. Werking put in the foundation for the sculpture. Two cannons originally stood to the north and south of the sculpture, but they were removed during World War II." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum