Overview
- Elizabethtown police opened an investigation after three bronze plaques were taken from the former Hardin County Courthouse in the town’s Public Square.
- The missing pieces include a 1933 dedication plaque for the courthouse’s reopening and two 1955 markers honoring Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Buchanan.
- Detectives say the plaques were pried from the walls of the nearly century‑old building, which is being converted into a 27‑room boutique hotel.
- Officers say the motive does not appear to be monetary and called the theft a blow to the community’s history.
- Police ask for tips to the Elizabethtown Police Department or Hardin County Crime Stoppers and say the plaques can be returned anonymously, with a possible cash reward for information.