Downtown Noblesville, Indiana: Historic Architecture, Venerable Courthouse
Downtown Noblesville is comprised of Main Street, the Downtown Courthouse Square and the plethora of interesting Noblesville businesses that fill the neighborhood. Downtown Noblesville is, in fact, the crown jewel of the charming Midwest city of Noblesville, Indiana. Only 20 miles from downtown Indianapolis, its nostalgic atmosphere attracts locals and visitors from state capital Indianapolis.
In and around the Noblesville Courthouse Square, visitors to Main Street will discover a delightful mix of the old and the new. Architectural pieces of Noblesville history are everywhere, and Main Street is bustling with some 14 Noblesville restaurants in the downtown Noblesville area alone, along with tons of interesting stores and services.
| Video about Noblesville’s First Friday event, which takes place in downtown Noblesville, Indiana |
In addition to the Noblesville Courthouse Square, two historical buildings stand out as main Noblesville attractions: the Hamilton County Courthouse and the Hamilton County Museum of History.
The Hamilton County Courthouse, around which the downtown Noblesville square has sprung up over the years, is a magnificent piece of historical French Renaissance architecture, especially its dramatic mansard roofing and enormous, functional clock tower. Today, it is the County Seat Building of Hamilton County, and is still in use as the Hamilton County Courthouse.
The “Old Sheriff’s Residence and Jail” is now being leased by the Hamilton County Historical Society, where they have opened the Hamilton County Museum of History. This lovely multi-storied period building, built in 1876, doubled as the Noblesville jail and home of the Sheriff for one century. It is a remarkable and meticulously maintained example of the decorative architecture of the time, in red brick with plentiful white trim; the elegant structure also includes a dome and a bell tower.
Located right on the downtown Noblesville‘s Courthouse Square, the old jail was once home to such infamous residents as Charles Manson (put away for robbing cars as a teenager) and the 1920′s Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon, D.C. Stephenson.
