Masonry Magazine December 1997 Page. 19
Masons' Artistry, Skill Revered As Structure Celebrates Centennial
by Beth Douglass Silcox
For more than a century, a massive limestone structure has towered over a small east central Indiana farming community, creating a sense of permanence for all those who reside there.
Newcomers to the community are awe-struck by the enormous architectural image before them but, perhaps, it's the 20th Century mason that respects the structure most and sees it as a testament to the artistry and skill of the masons who constructed it between 1896 and 1898.
Measuring 108' x 158' at its foundation and towering some 185' into the air, the Rush County, Indiana Courthouse located in Rushville, Indiana depends on mass, volume, and scale, rather than decorative detailing to make its architectural statement.
Wrapped entirely in Best No. 1 Buff Bedford limestone, the Rush County Courthouse epitomizes an architectural style known as Richardsonian Romanesque. As the preferred architectural style for large public buildings in the United States during the 1880s and 1890s, Richardsonian Romanesque is one of the only architectural styles intended to be executed entirely in stone and was the first American architectural style emulated abroad.
It is of little doubt, upon seeing the massive structure that resulted from two years of laborious masonry, that masons with immense skill and expertise were employed to construct it. P.H. McCormack & Co., a construction firm organized solely to build the Courthouse's approximate 51,192 square feet, supervised all aspects of the construction including the hiring of masonry crews.
Although technology in the late 1890s was significantly limited by today's standards, the hands-on
Left: Rush County Courthouse exterior, circa. 1899. Originally published in "The Promoter," Louisville, KY, 1899, reprinted by The Bookmark, Knightstown, IN, 1978
Below: Rush County Courthouse exterior, circa. 1996. Photography by Green, Dan & Betty Green, Rushville, IN, 1996
MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1997 19