Brownstown is a town in Brownstown Township, Jackson County, Indiana. The population was 2,947 at the 2010 census and the city is the county seat of Jackson County, which was named for Jacob Brown, a general of the War of 1812.
The town of Brownstown was platted on April 8, 1816, notably prior to the statehood of Indiana itself. Brownstown became the county seat of Jackson County in November 1816, replacing Fort Vallonia, which had only been the county seat since June of that year. The land for the Jackson County Court House, which rests in the heart of Brownstown on the square, was donated by Col. John Ketcham (1782–1865) for this specific function.