By ALPHA1 · Town Vines Desk
Rome is an unincorporated community along the Ohio River in southeastern Tobin Township, Perry County, and holds a special place in the county’s early history. In 1819, the Perry County Seat was moved to centrally located Rome, a prominent river port at the time, after Spencer County was formed from parts of Perry and Warrick Counties in 1818.
The courthouse was built in 1818, and is a two-story, square brick building with a hipped roof topped by a central cupola. This two-story brick building, echoing the design of the first Indiana Capitol building at Corydon, was built in the town’s central square to house the county court house. This is one of only two surviving Indiana public buildings from that era still standing in place.
By 1859 Perry County’s boundaries had changed and the county seat was then moved to Cannelton. The old courthouse was then turned into a school of higher learning called the Rome Academy, although at some point its name changed to St. Alban’s Academy. It remained a school of higher learning until 1902, when Tobin Township took over the building making it a public school that persisted until 1966. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and today the building is used as a community center.