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Indiana County
Montgomery County, Indiana
Crawfordsville - General Lew Wallace's hometown and Ben-Hur - from General Lew Wallace's Crawfordsville Study (Lew Wallace - Union general, governor of New Mexico Territory, and author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ - the best-selling American novel of the 19th century - lived and wrote in Crawfordsville, and his octagonal Study is preserved as a National Historic Landmark) to Wabash College (one of only three all-male liberal arts colleges remaining in the United States - Wabash College's rigorous academic culture, generous financial aid, and remarkable alumni network have made it one of Indiana's most distinguished institutions despite its small size).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Montgomery County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via montgomeryco.net.
Sheriff: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office – Crawfordsville, IN. Confirm current phone via montgomeryco.net.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-74 and US-231 serve Crawfordsville, the county seat, about an hour west-northwest of Indianapolis, between Indianapolis and Lafayette.
Notes: Montgomery County records date to 1823. Crawfordsville is home to Wabash College, whose annual football rivalry game against DePauw University for the Monon Bell is one of the oldest in college sports; Wabash also won the NCAA Division III basketball title in 1982.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Montgomery County Courthouse – 100 E. Main Street, Crawfordsville, IN, part of the Crawfordsville Commercial Historic District; a new clock tower was added in 2018, replacing one removed in 1941.
Notes: Crawfordsville is genuinely celebrated as the “Cradle of Basketball.” The game arrived in Indiana at the Crawfordsville YMCA in 1892, brought from its Massachusetts birthplace by Rev. Nicholas McCay. The first eight Indiana high school basketball state championships were all won by schools within 30 miles of Crawfordsville, starting with Crawfordsville High’s own title in 1911; from 1915 to 1969, Crawfordsville won 32 sectional titles. Nearby Wingate, a tiny school without its own gym (the “Gymless Wonders,” who practiced outdoors and traveled to a neighboring town’s gym), won back-to-back state titles in 1913 and 1914 under coach Jesse Wood, predating the more famous Milan “Hoosiers” story by decades. The Montgomery County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence (225 N. Washington Street, built 1882, a historic “rotary jail”) is a genuine National Historic Landmark, designated in 2023, and now operates as the Rotary Jail Museum. Crawfordsville is also home to the General Lew Wallace Study (built 1898), the personal retreat of the “Ben Hur” author and Civil War general, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Montgomery County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via montgomeryco.net.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Crawfordsville District Public Library (Crawfordsville) – moved to a new building in 2005; its former Carnegie library building (Indiana’s first Carnegie library) now houses the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County (opened 2007).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rotary Jail Museum (National Historic Landmark), the General Lew Wallace Study, the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, the T.C. Steele Boyhood Home, and the Darlington Covered Bridge (1868) are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Cradle of Basketball” heritage of Crawfordsville and Montgomery County – the birthplace of the sport in Indiana – is among the most culturally significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Montgomery County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via montgomeryco.net.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Montgomery County Humane Society – confirm current contact via montgomeryco.net.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Montgomery County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via montgomeryco.net.
NOTES: Montgomery County is the fifty-fifth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine “Cradle of Basketball” heritage of Crawfordsville is among the most culturally significant local facts 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 Montgomery County
Montgomery County is west-central Indiana’s General Lew Wallace and Wabash College county – the author of Ben-Hur (the 19th century’s best-selling novel) and one of America’s three remaining all-male liberal arts colleges make Crawfordsville one of Indiana’s most culturally distinguished small cities.
Crawfordsville (the county seat, population ~16,000) preserves the Lew Wallace Study and hosts Wabash College – two institutions that give the city an intellectual and literary heritage rare in rural Indiana.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Montgomery County Assessor at 100 E. Main Street, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, phone 765-364-6440. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
Montgomery County Circuit Court at 100 E. Main Street, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, phone 765-364-6430, 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)
100 E. Main St., Crawfordsville, IN 47933
(765) 364-6400
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 E. Main St., Crawfordsville, IN 47933
(765) 364-6400
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Montgomery County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Wabash College Archives, Crawfordsville, and the Montgomery County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence (National Historic Landmark) are significant regional historical resources.
Local societies
No dedicated Montgomery 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
Montgomery County Circuit Court 100 East Main Street, Room 201, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 (765) 364-6430
Montgomery County was authorized December 21, 1822 and organized March 1, 1823, named for General Richard Montgomery. Its seat, Crawfordsville, was nicknamed the “Athens of Indiana” for its historic literary and educational culture (home to Wabash College).
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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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
600 Memorial Dr., Crawfordsville, IN 47933
(765) 362-3740
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 E. Main St., Crawfordsville, IN 47933
(765) 364-6400
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Montgomery County Health Department – 110 W. South Boulevard, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 | (765) 364-6440 | Fax (765) 361-3239 | Email: [email protected].
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Crawfordsville
Population: 38,000
Area: 505 sq mi
Established: 1823
Tier: 3
Public Records
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