Following the condemnation of the original courthouse, the county's judicial activities were temporarily located in a building across the street.

The current courthouse was designed by architects Arthur LaBelle and Burt L. French, who were from nearby Marion, Indiana.

Considered "the county's most outstanding landmark", the structure is often pictured on web sites associated with the area, and continues to house local government over 100 years after its construction.

Most of the buildings in the Courthouse Square Historic District continue to have facades that look similar to their original design.

[9] During June 1939, Indiana Governor David Wallace appointed Nicholas Friend as the new county's sheriff, and elections were held soon thereafter.

On September 11, 1841, the Blackford County board of commissioners ordered that written proposals should be received to build a courthouse on the public square in the town of Hartford.

[Note 3] The contract for Blackford County's first courthouse was let on December 7, 1841, and construction was supervised by Charles and William F. Jones.

Finally, in a special session held October 31, 1845, the board of commissioners found that the courthouse had been completed according to contract.

[29] The area experienced a period of economic growth and prosperity as manufacturers moved to the region to utilize the low-cost energy.

[25] In October, it was decided that the opera house was not suitable for courtroom proceedings because of possible theatrical conflicts, so rooms were rented at the newly built Briscoe Block building located on the south side of the courthouse square.

The architects designed a monumental stone courthouse in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style that was popular in the United States at that time.

[25] Although the community planned to build the courthouse as a monument to the city's (Gas Boom-related) prosperity, the commissioners were still concerned with costs.

In late July 1893, the commissioners awarded the courthouse construction contract to the Fort Wayne firm of Boseker & Son.

[46] Today, the courthouse is still used by local government, and has a mailing address of 110 West Washington Street, Hartford City, Indiana.

Both the North and South entrances will have temporary "roof"s added to protect the public from possible injury caused by falling debris.

[54] Designed by the firm known as LaBelle and French of Marion, Indiana, the Blackford County Courthouse is considered an excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, which was popular at the time.

[56] Listed December 31, 1974, the Trumbull County courthouse is also part of the National Register of Historic Places.

[57][58] Unfortunately, the White County courthouse was severely damaged by a "direct hit" from a tornado (rated as "F4" using the Fujita scale) during the 1974 Super Outbreak, and therefore demolished.

Constructed mostly during 1894, the four–story building features a 165-foot clock tower located on the southwest corner, and is the tallest structure in the area.

[62] In 1940, the hitching racks around the courthouse square were removed, as automobiles had replaced horses as the preferred mode of transportation.

On December 6, 2010, the county commissioners decided to proceed with a courthouse preservation project that was estimated to cost in excess of $325,000.

[64] The interior of the Blackford County courthouse has a twenty-two feet wide main hallway that runs between the northern and southern facades.

The space adjacent to the north-south hallway on all three floors is used for offices with the exception of the third-floor courtroom and a small library.

[68] Beneath the Doughboy sculpture is a list of Blackford County residents that served in World War I.

[69] Blackford County's World War II memorial is located on the northwest corner of the courthouse square.

[67] Blackford County's monument to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars is located on the southeast corner of the courthouse square.

[67] Blackford County's Civil War monument is located on the southwest corner of the courthouse square.

[72] The Reverend Herbert C. Cornuelle served in World War I as a chaplain in the United States Army.

Many years later, a Blackford County Courthouse Cornerstone Rededication Marker was added in a ceremony on November 13, 1993.

The courthouse has been "the focus of governmental, political and civic affairs," and "its size and architecture dominate" downtown Hartford City.