The Switzerland County Courthouse is part of an exhibit for the Indiana Bicentennial thanks to the Switzerland County Bar Association and Switzerland County Tourism.
“Back in February we got an email from a gentleman named Doug Church with the Indiana Bar Association,” Christy Morgan from Switzerland County Tourism said. “It’s an Indiana Bicentennial project that they are trying to get an original painting or drawing of each courthouse in Indiana. At the time he had over 40, so I thought, ‘We need to have our courthouse in that’.”
Morgan then contacted Circuit Court Judge Greg Coy, who told her that Switzerland County does have a County Bar Association, so she began looking for an original painting of the courthouse that could be used.
“David Beardmore painted a picture of the courthouse and I saw it over at the Art Center, so I took a picture of it and sent it to Greg,” Morgan said. “The price was still a little high, but the artist wanted to be in the exhibit after I told him about it, so he decided that he would give us a discount for his painting.”
Morgan said that Tourism had some extra money as a result of Kip Meyerhoff’s generous offer to allow Tourism to keep the proceeds from the sale of his book; and members of the Switzerland County Bar Association also contributed. With the discounted price through the generosity of the artist, the painting was purchased.
Church came to Switzerland County this past Sunday to pick up the painting and take it back to Indianapolis, where it is currently on display with the others at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park in Fishers, Indiana.
Morgan said that Church hopes to acquire paintings of all 92 courthouses in the state; and at some point the Indiana Bar Association hopes to make it a traveling exhibit, so that residents all over Indiana can see and enjoy the art.