Corydon Capitol State Historic Site
The first state capitol, Governor Hendricks’ headquarters, and the remains of Constitution Elm reveal how a frontier town built a government—and who its 1816 constitution excluded.
Artwork inspired by John Ottis Adams
Forty-three delegates met at Corydon in 1816 to draft Indiana’s first constitution, sometimes working beneath a large elm. The compact capitol and nearby buildings make early government physical: representation, courts, offices, and recordkeeping occupied rooms closer to domestic scale than monumental Washington. Interpretation should also confront the constitution’s limits, including racial exclusion and political participation restricted by sex.
A guided tour is the only dependable way to understand which room served which function and how the surviving buildings relate. Visit the Constitution Elm remains outside, then compare the founding document’s democratic language with the people denied equal standing. Corydon’s walkable square adds context, but the state-site ticket and town attractions are separate. Call before purchasing because scheduled tour capacity can change.
- Constitution drafted
- 1816
- First state capital
- Corydon
- Tour
- Timed guided entry
Quick guide
- Scale the government
- Use room size, furnishings, and circulation to imagine the first legislature at work.
- Read the constitution
- Compare statehood ideals with racial, gender, and voting exclusions.
How to examine a founding moment
- Scale the government
- Use room size, furnishings, and circulation to imagine the first legislature at work.
- Read the constitution
- Compare statehood ideals with racial, gender, and voting exclusions.
- Find the elm
- Treat the preserved trunk as a memorialized trace, not an intact witness.
- Walk the square
- Place the capitol within Corydon’s commercial and civic geography.
Good to know
Open Wednesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., with timed tours generally at 10, noon, 2, and 4; call to confirm before buying. Admission is paid. Parking is available around the historic square and at the visitor bureau. The small historic buildings have physical constraints, so ask about accessible interpretation.
Notice these
- Limestone capitol
- Constitution Elm remains
- Governor Hendricks’ headquarters