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Indiana County
Knox County, Indiana
Vincennes - Indiana's oldest city and George Rogers Clark's Revolution - from George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (the site of Fort Sackville - where George Rogers Clark led his Illinois Regiment across flooded plains in February 1779 to capture the British fort from Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton - the victory gave the American frontier claim to the vast Northwest Territory and is considered one of the most important American victories of the Revolutionary War) to Vincennes's position as Indiana Territory's first capital (William Henry Harrison governed Indiana Territory from Vincennes as its first governor from 1801-1812 - the Grouseland mansion he built is preserved as one of Indiana's finest historic sites).
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Office: Knox County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
Sheriff: Knox County Sheriff’s Office – Vincennes, IN. Confirm current phone via knoxcounty.in.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-41 and US-50 serve Vincennes, the county seat, on the Wabash River, about 51 miles north of Evansville.
Notes: Knox County was created June 6, 1790, one of only two original counties formed in the entire Northwest Territory (alongside St. Clair County, Illinois), making it genuinely the oldest county in Indiana. It was named for Henry Knox, the first U.S. Secretary of War.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Knox County Courthouse – Vincennes, IN.
Notes: Vincennes is genuinely Indiana’s oldest city, founded as a French fur-trading post as early as the 1680s-1730s, with a fort constructed around 1732. Named for François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, its commanding officer, who was captured and executed by Native Americans in 1736. The British later renamed the fort Fort Sackville after taking control following the French and Indian War; in 1779, George Rogers Clark famously captured it for the United States during the Revolutionary War, recognizing its strategic importance – the site is now preserved as George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (established 1936). Vincennes served as the capital of the Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1813, with William Henry Harrison as its first governor, before the capital moved to Corydon. Historic sites include Grouseland (1802-04, the Harrison family mansion), the Old French House, the original 1805 Territory Capitol building, Vincennes University (founded 1806, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the country), and the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier (Old Cathedral, construction begun 1825), alongside the Old French Cemetery with its earliest burial dating to 1741.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Knox County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Vincennes Community School Corporation Library and Knox County Public Library (Vincennes) – confirm current addresses/phones via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Grouseland (the William Henry Harrison mansion), the original 1805 Indiana Territory Capitol building, the Old French House, Vincennes University’s historic campus, and Ouabache State Park are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, foundational status of Vincennes as Indiana’s oldest city and Knox County as Indiana’s oldest county – including its direct role in the Revolutionary War and Indiana Territory’s founding – makes this among the most historically significant counties covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Knox County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Knox County Humane Society – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Knox County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
NOTES: Knox County is the forty-third county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, foundational status of Vincennes as Indiana’s oldest city and Knox County as Indiana’s oldest county makes this among the most historically significant counties covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Knox County
Knox County is Indiana’s founding county – Vincennes, Indiana’s oldest city, was the territorial capital where William Henry Harrison governed and where George Rogers Clark’s 1779 winter capture of Fort Sackville secured the entire Northwest Territory for the United States.
Vincennes (the county seat, population ~16,000) preserves Indiana’s founding heritage – the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Grouseland, and the Indiana Military Museum make it one of the most historically significant communities in the Midwest.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Knox County Assessor at 111 N. 7th Street, Suite 2, Vincennes, IN 47591, phone 812-885-2504. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
Knox County Circuit Court at 111 N. 7th Street, Vincennes, IN 47591, phone 812-885-2521, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
111 N. 7th St., Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 885-2521
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
111 N. 7th St., Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 885-2521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Knox County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The George Rogers Clark National Historical Park and Grouseland (William Henry Harrison’s home), both in Vincennes, hold significant historical resources for the region’s territorial era.
Local societies
No dedicated Knox County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Knox County Circuit Court 111 North 7th Street, Suite 28, Vincennes, IN 47591 (812) 895-4927
Knox County is Indiana’s oldest county, established in 1790, and Vincennes is the state’s oldest city – the site of Indiana’s first territorial capital.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the Knox County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Knox County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
201 N. 7th St., Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 882-7660
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
111 N. 7th St., Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 885-2521
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Knox County Health Dept
(812) 882-8260
IN FSSA — Southwest Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
Good Samaritan Hospital
gshosp.org (Vincennes — major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Deaconess Health System (Evansville)
deaconess.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Knox County Health Department – confirm current contact via knoxcounty.in.gov.
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