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F.O.E. Ten Commandment Monuments in Indiana (15)
| Anderson, Indiana |
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See Indianapolis, Indiana |
History:The Indianapolis Ten Commandments monument was erected on the grounds of the Indiana State House in 1958 and removed in 2002. It was moved to the Anderson Aerie where is was later destroyed.
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| Columbus, Indiana |
Bartholomew County Courthouse
Screenshot: Google Maps street view Sept. 2014
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Columbus (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Photo by Shannon (October 2013)
Availabe at https://www.flickr.com/photos/whenlostin/13352698933/
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Dedicated: Saturday, May 28, 1956
Location: The rear of Bartholomew County Courthouse, 234 Washington St. Can be seen from either 3rd Street or Jackson Street.
Scroll: “Presented / To Bartholomew County / By Eagles Lodge No. 741”
Comments: One of the few slight rounded or flat at the top (rather than twin tablets in appearance).
Also unuique is the Roman numeral numbering in the small twin tablets at the top. The first two Eagles-donated monuments in Chicago (1954) and Ambridge (1955) have Roman numerals I-III on the left side and IV-X on the right side – characteristic of the Catholic version of the Ten Commandments. The Columbus monument, however, is numbered I-V on the left side and VI-X on the right side.
“The monument was provided by the Columbus lodge of Fraternal Order of Eagles as part of an Eagles nationwide to instill a deeper towards religion in every-day living.” The Columbus Herald, May 4, 1956.
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| Crawfordsville, Indiana |
Crawfordsville (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Crawfordsville Aerie No. 1005
Screenshot: Google Maps street view September 2013
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Donated by FOE: 1958
Current Location: Aerie No. 1005, 920 E. South Blvd. (Private property.) The Ten Commandments monument is in front of the shubbery to the left of the canopy that is in front of the building. (It about a quarter inch to the right of the rear left tire of the red car.) Appears as a very small light colored object.
Original Location: Montgomery County Courthouse. Removed 2001.
Scroll: “Presented / To Montgomery County / By Eagles Lodge No. 1005”
Comment: The monument is light colored and rectangular (flat at the top).
Litigation: Indiana Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in October 2001. The county commissioners voted three–to–zero to remove the monolith.
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| Crown Point, Indiana |
Old Lake County Courthouse, Crown Point, Indiana
Screenshot: Google Maps street view (Oct. 2016)
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Crown Point (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Photo by Tim Putala available on
Flickr |
Donated by FOE: May 26, 1957
Location: Old Lake County Courthouse at the intersection of S. Main and W. Clark Streets.
Scroll: “Presented To / The People Of Lake County Ind. /By The Aeries & Auxiliaries Of The / Fraternal Order Of Eagles / May 26, 1957”
Version: This plaque contains the original Eagles version of the Ten Commandments most closely identifiable with the Catholic Church based on numbering (first three commandments religious, the remaining seven secular), no graven images commandment and two covet commandments.
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| Elkhart, Indiana |
Entrance to Elkhart’s River Walk
Screenshot: Google Maps street view Oct. 2011); monument on right side
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Elkhart (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Entrance to Elkhart’s River Walk
Photo available at http://lowestravels.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/wpid28077-2014-07-24-in-1380195.jpg
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Donated by FOE: May 1958
Current Location: At the entrance to Elkhart’s River Walk (N. Main St. and Pottawattomi Dr.). (On private property.)
Original Location: On the lawn of the City of Elkhart’s Municipal Building.
Scroll: “Presented To / The City Of Elkhart Ind. / Elkhart Aerie No. 395 / Fraternal Order Of Eagles / May 1958”
Litigation: In Books v. City of Elkhart, 235 F.3d 292 (7th Cir., Dec. 13, 2000), the Courty of Appeals reversed the district court's summary judgment for the City and held that Elkhardt’s display of the Ten Commandments monument violated the “purpose” and “effect” prongs of the Lemon test. The Supreme Court denied the City’ petition for certiorari.
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| Evansville, Indiana |
Evansville (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse
Screenshot: Google Maps street April 2012
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Donated by FOE: 1955
Location: Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, facing the intersection of N.W. 5th Street (left side of picture) and Court Street (bottom).
Scroll: Unknown
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
(Plaque) |
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Ten Commandments Plaque
Allen County Public Library
Photo available at https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347340189988850916/
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Donated by FOE: 1969
Current Location: Missing
Original Location: Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza
Scroll: “To / The ... Library / Fort Wayne And Allen County / By / ... / ...”
Notes: The Fort Wayne Ten Commandments ia a “plaque”, not a monument. I contacted the library and they are not aware of what happened to the plaque. Apparently the plaque has been missing for many years. [The plaque is not counted in the monument totals for the state or overall.]
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| Indainapolis, Indiana |
Photo Not Available
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Donated by FOE: October 25, 1958
Status: Destroyed. “In March 2004, a ‘Jeep Cherokee filled with young white males’ drove into the original Ten Commandments monolith at the Anderson Aerie breaking it into twelve pieces rendering it useless.”
Previous Location: The Indianapolis monument was damaged and repaired, then moved to Anderson Aerie No. 174, 1315 Meridian St.
Original Location: Indiana State House. Removed from public property in 2002.
Scroll: Unknown
Story: “In March 2004, a ‘Jeep Cherokee filled with young white males’ drove into the original Ten Commandments monolith at the Anderson Aerie breaking it into twelve pieces rendering it useless.”
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| Lebanon (Boone County), Indiana |
Boone County Courthouse
Screenshot: Google maps street view September 2013
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Lebanon (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Boone County Courthouse
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Donated by FOE: August 17, 1957
Location: Boone County Courthouse, 212 Courthouse Square, at the corner of N. Meridian and N. Washington Streets.
Scroll: “Erected For Boone County / By Boone Aerie – – – No. 2062 / Fraternal Order of Eagles”
Version: This plaque contains the original Eagles version of the Ten Commandments most closely identifiable with the Catholic Church based on numbering (first three commandments religious, the remaining seven secular), no graven images commandment and two covet commandments.
Notes: The only known FOE monolith made of concrete; rectangular (flat top); lacks embelishments at the top, sides (no four leaf clovers) and bottom corners; and the date “August 17, 1957” is below the scroll.
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| Mishawaka, Indiana |
Mishawaka (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
First United Methodist Church
Screenshot: Google Maps street view October 2011
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Donated by FOE: October 8, 1959
Current Location: Monolith moved to First United Methodist Church, 201 E. 3rd St.; Church St. side, in November 2002.
Original Location: Waukesha City Hall. City Hall was relocated in 1986 and the monument was moved to the new location. (Removed from City Hall in November 2002 as a result of the lawsuit.)
Scroll: Unknown
Litigation: Indiana Civil Liberties Union (ICLU) filed a lawsuit in November 2001.
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| Mount Vernon, Indiana |
Mount Vernon (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Posey Aerie No. 1717
Screenshot: Google Maps street view April 2012
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Donated by FOE: 1956
Current Location: Posey Aerie No. 1717, 109 W. Water St., took possession of the monument, restored and rededicated it – placing the monument on the aerie’s front lawn.
Original Location: Posey County Courthouse, 300 Main St. A vandal broke the monument into three pieces on March 2005.
Scroll: Unknown
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| Princeton, Indiana |
Princeton (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Gibson County Courthouse
Screenshot: Google Maps street view June 2012; monument surrounded on both sides by shrubbery
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Donated by FOE: 1956
Current Location: Gibson County Courthouse lawn, Main & W. State Streets.
Scroll: Unknown
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| Richmond (#1), Indiana |
Monument being placed against a boulder on the lawn
of the North 27 Worship Center
Photo by Dan Date
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Richmond (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument (#1)
North 27 Worship Center
Photo by Dan Tate
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Donated by FOE: 1958
Current Location: North 27 Worship Center at 5172 U.S. Highway 27 North outside Richmond, Indiana.
Original Location: Believed to be Fayette County Courthouse, Connersville, Indiana.
Scroll: Unknown
Story Dan Tate found the monument in 2009 in stone scrap area of a closed Wayne County monument company. The bottom dedication portion of the monument could not be found. The monument was moved to North 27 Worship Center
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| Richmond (#2), Indiana |
Wayne Bank And Trust
Screenshot: Google Maps street view July 2015
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Richmond (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument (#2)
Wayne County Courthouse (Original Location)
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Donated by FOE: 1959
Current Location: Wayne Bank and Trust at 500 South A St. The monument is located in the rear at the corner of S. 6th and S. Service Streets.
Original Location: Wayne County Courthouse, S. 4th Street side. The monolith was removed from the courthouse on January 3, 2003 and moved to the Wayne Bank and Trust.
Scroll: “Presented To / The County Of Wayne / By / The Wayne Aerie No. 666 / Fraternal Order Of Eagles”
Litigation: : Indiana Civil Liberties Union (ICLU) filed a lawsuit in January 2002. The lawsuit was dismissed after Richmond agreed to move the monument.
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| Shelbyville, Indiana |
Shelbyville (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
(Old) MHP / Major Hospital
Screenshot: Google Maps street view July 2014
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Donated by FOE: (???)
Current Location: (New) MHP / Major Hospital at 2455 Intelliplex Drive. The hopsital opened January 22, 2017. (The monument is believed to be outise the Oncology & Hematology wing. Confirmation pending / August 2017.)
Previous Location: (Old) MHP / Major Hospital at W. Washington Street near the intersection of N. West St.
Scroll: (Cannot be determined from the screenshot above)
Comment: Thank you Diane Himes for notifying the JM Center of the Shelbyville Ten Commandments monument. (August 2017)
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| South Bend, Indiana |
South Bend (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Behind the Morris Performing Arts Center
Screenshot: Google maps street view September 2011
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Donated by FOE: September 1957
Current Location: In the rear of Morris Performing Arts Center, on N. Main St. between W. Lasalle and W. Colfax Avenues. (Believed to be on public land.)
Original Location: Public Works Building (which has since been torn down).
Scroll: “Presented To / ... / ... / Fraternal Order Of Eagles / September 1957”
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| Vincennes, Indiana |
Knox County Courthouse
Screenshot: Google Maps street view July 2014
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Vincennes (Ind.) Ten Commandments Monument
Knox County Courthouse
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Donated by FOE: 1958
Location: Knox County Courthouse, 111 N. 7th St. at the corner of Broadway St.
Scroll: “Presented To The City Of / Vincennes And The Citizens / Of Knox County Indiana / By The Fraternal Order Of Eagles / Aerie No. 384”
Notes: The year “1958” is below the scroll. On other Eagle monuments, the year is inside the scroll.
Vincennes did a complete do-over of the courthouse lawn, placing the Ten Commandments monument among veteran memorials.
Litigation: It cost Knox County thousands of dollars to defend a lawsuit filed by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union challenging a Ten Commandments monument on the courthouse lawn. The lawsuit was dropped after the two plaintiffs refused to disclose their names.
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