Brief Carroll County History

Formed: 1828
County Seat: Delphi
In the winter of 1824 the first settlers began to arrive.
Among these were Henry, Hezekiah & Abner Robinson. With Henry being the first actual settler. He located his home 25 miles from the nearest neighbor.

In 1824 the Robinson's began erecting a mill and by 1828 the boundaries of the county were laid out, from un-organized territory.

It was then decided to name the county for Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the and - Designer of the "Declaration Of Independence",who died in 1832.

Carroll County was organized January 7, 1828, which became effective May 1, 1828.

The first County Seat was christened Carrollton, but on May 24, 1828, was changed to Delphi was established the same year by General Samuel Milroy.

Delphi was first settled in 1828 by William Wilson, Enoch Cox, D. F. Vandeventer, Aaron Dewey, Andrew Wood and Jos. Dunham. By 1849 it contained a Methodist, Baptist and Episcopalian church, about 150 dwelling houses and 1,000 inhabitants.

Carroll County is divided into 14 Civil Townships as follows: Adams, Burlington, Carrollton, Clay, Deer Creek, Democrat, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Monroe, Rock Creek, Tippecanoe and Washington.

To be a pioneer of Carroll county one must of resided here on or before December 31, 1835.
Carroll County is known for having a major port on the Wabash-Erie Canal at Delphi;built through the county in 1840 and operating until the early 1870's. Products shipped on the Canal were newsprint made at two papermills supervised by canal magnates Enoch Rinehart, Abner Bowen, George Robertson, and Charles Wood. Yet another enterprise overseen by James Spears, James Dugan, and Reed Case were packing houses that turned out "canvas hams", and also lime kilns, supervised by Hubbard, Harley, and McCain which produced construction grade burned lime, which was shipped all over the Midwest for use as whitewash, mortar, and plaster.

Courthouse The current Carroll County courthouse was designed by Elmer E. Dunlap of Indianapolis, who also designed the Spencer County courthouse. It was constructed by A. E. Kemmer at a cost of about $250,000 from 1916 to 1917. The exterior is understated, but the interior is surprisingly elaborate, including a stained glass dome over a mosaic tile floor.

This building is the county's third courthouse. The first was built in 1831-1838. It was replaced by a brick structure in 1856; this building was designed by M. J. McBride of Logansport and had a tower at each corner, including a clock tower. The 730-pound bell from the first courthouse was made in Cincinnati in 1836 and given by Sheriff Samuel Davis Gresham, and was used in the second courthouse until 1916. While the bell was in transit to Lafayette by boat, the boat sank; the bell was later recovered from the Ohio River. It was later sold, but was returned to Carroll County in 1967.