Montgomery County Courthouse clocktower to become reality in 2018

The restoration of the clocktower to the Montgomery County Courthouse was the brainstorm of Dr. James Marion Kirtley. He asked Sandra and Luther Lofland to help him start to work on this project in the spring of 1996. The three of them formed a committee through the Montgomery County Historical Society, as they were members. They set up the committee and selected volunteers from the community. There were hundreds of volunteers and each played a significant role.

Fund raising began and the project was going along well, then Kirtley became ill with leukemia. He had written his memoirs, “The Life and Times of James Marion Kirtley, M.D.” and used this as a fund raiser for the tower. He worked tirelessly for the next four years before he passed. The night before he passed away he made Sandra promise to see the project would become a reality. She promised she would, even if she had to sell pencils on the street corner in front of the courthouse and eventually, she did. 

Kirtley passed away in 2000 but left a group of dedicated volunteers to carry on his dream. He had loved the old clocktower all of his life and while he was away serving his country during World War II, a painter reported the tower was leaning and the county commissions hastily had the tower torn off as it was war time, and there was not funding to even repair the tower if it was leaning.

The tower committee volunteers continued the plans and fundraising. Grant applications and letters were written almost every day. Letters to all political officials were sent, even to the top, the President of The United States. In 2006, Luther Lofland Sr., also passed away from leukemia; Sandra strengthened the committee and they continued to work with about 40 fundraisers over the next several years. Three original members are still working on the committee: Jean Friend-Chadwick, Hubert Danzebrink and Sandra. Sandra re-married Kenneth Brown, and they dedicated many more years to the project. It is important to note the average age of the committee members is 75 to 80, proving people of an advanced age are still vital to our communities.

“There are so many wonderful people to thank,” said Sandra Lofland-Brown. “County Commissioner Phil Bane was tremendous in getting us exposure and helping to coordinate many groups to help us get the word out. We simply could not have done this without him. John Van Nuys built the replica out of Legos, which was such a terrific visual for people to see. It is currently on display at the library.”

The bids for the new clocktower came in at $540,600. The committee was still short of funding, but in October 2017, after a plea to the Montgomery County Council, they were loaned the last $79,000 to be able to accept the bidding, and now today, the work is ready to begin.

Those involved with the building and installation of the tower are: HWC Engineering, Brandt Construction, both of Indianapolis, and Campbellsville Industries in Campbellsville, Kentucky.

“I have worked on this project from day one and I have seen so many generous people who believe in it as Dr. Kirtley did,” said Lofland-Brown. “Dr. Kirtley was my friend and I promised him I would see this through to completion. I thank all those who believed in the importance of the project, and helped me keep my promise to a dear friend.” 

City and county officials alike have worked closely with the clocktower committee to complete the project.

“A downtown is the very heart of a community and several exciting changes are happening in our community that will further improve the experience of those visiting or shopping in downtown Crawfordsville,” said Mayor Todd Barton. “This will be greatly enhanced by restoring the clock tower atop the courthouse and sending a clear message that we take great pride in our community. I thank those citizens who helped support this effort by contributing to make it a reality.”