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Jefferson County Courthouse 150 Years-Old


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Jefferson County Courthouse at 150: Missing Pieces

Jefferson-County-Courthouse.-Courtesy-ofBROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Jefferson County Courthouse may be a symbol of justice, but to County Commissioners John Matson and Jeffrey Pisarcik, the courthouse is something to be celebrated.

Constructed 150 years ago, the courthouse dominates Main Street in Brookville, and Matson feels that the imposing structure is one of the many reasons people should come to his county.

“You need excuses for people to come here,” he said, “and the courthouse is a good reason to drive people here.”

The courthouse was dedicated in 1869, according to a pamphlet by Laura Lynn Yohe. It had many renovations over the years, including plumbing being installed in 1927 after residents called the bathrooms “barbarous.” Yohe said that protesters wanted the courthouse torn down and replaced. The 1927 renovations added to the courthouse and repaired the jails. The courthouse exterior has been almost the same since it was completed, though interior renovations have changed the building. Many of the 1927 features have been restored to look as they once did.

For Matson, the idea of the courthouse is more than a symbol. It is a piece history as well as a work of art.

“This is the nicest building in the county,” he said. “If it’s not, the courtroom is the nicest room in the county. It’s fabulous. The courtroom reminds us of the past and what our community was.”

Matson pointed out that Brookville was well-to-do when the courthouse was constructed. It had six hotels to keep up with the courthouse business. The court has also set some precedents for the country.

“More people have been hanged in Jefferson County after 1900 than before,” he said. “We had a twice-hanged man. They hanged him once, and it didn’t work, so they tried it again, and succeeded. After that, the country decided you can’t kill someone twice.”

However, what history Matson has found also comes with some holes.

“We need to fill in the missing pieces,” he said. “The records are all spread out over different agencies.”

Yohe’s pamphlet is where Matson gets much of his information. However, the seven-page folded information packet only covers a small chunk of the history of the courthouse. In fact, the courthouse did not have many copies of Yohe’s work left.

Pisarcik said that the community could help fill in some of the historical gaps.

“We have great historians in this area,” Pisarcik said. “Talking to some historians in Punxsutawney, I learned that our first judge was from there. Jenks Street is named after him.”

Pisarcik and Matson look forward to getting more information about the courthouse as they approach the 150th. Pisarcik said that the courthouse belongs to everyone in the county.

“People call it the Brownsville Courthouse,” Pisarcik said. “That’s wrong. We all own it. It’s Jefferson County’s. It’s irreplaceable. All the money spent to restore it is well worth it. People should come to the courthouse to see it, to see the positives.”

The courthouse has reminders that it belongs to the community, however. Matson said that the bell tower has graffiti dating back to the 1870s.

However, some of the history of the courthouse can only be told by those who worked there. That is why Matson is inviting anyone who worked there or had an experience there to tell their stories on the Facebook page.

In the meantime, Matson will still gather as much information as he can to be prepared for the 150th.

“People take a lot of pride in where they’re from,” Matson said. “The courthouse itself is something to be proud of.”

This is the second article in a multi-part series celebrating the Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th anniversary. Check back later for additional articles.                                                                                        http://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/jefferson-county-courthouse-at-150-missing-pieces/

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Pennsylvania Great Outdoors: Jefferson County Courthouse History for 150th Birthday (Part 2)

Jefferson-County-Courthouse-Brookville-PPennsylvania Great Outdoors submitted the following blog on the history of the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Part Two of a three-part series of articles on the history of the Jefferson County Courthouse

Written by Dave Taylor

As noted in the previous article posted on May 30, 2019, the first Jefferson County Court House was built in 1832, and by the 1860s, the modest building had outlived its design. In 1866, the County Commissioners embarked on an ambitious building project that would result in a new Court House at the corner of Main and Pickering streets, in the heart of Brookville’s downtown business district.

The Commissioners selected James T. Dickey to be the contractor and on May 30, 1866, the Brookville Republican reported under the heading New Court House.

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“The people of Jefferson county will rejoice that at last we are to have a new Court House. The plans and specifications, which can be seen at the Commissioners’ Office, were gotten up by Mr. J. W. Drum, of Punxsutawney, who is the Architect of the building; and if the building is put up in accordance with his plans, it will be one of the finest Court Houses in Western Pennsylvania, and will be a credit and an ornament to our town. The work is to be put under contract on the 20th of June next. We hope to see it pushed forward to completion as rapidly as possible.”

James T. Dickey, the contractor, was listed in advertisements of the time as a Brookville merchant. Little is known about J. W. Drum, the architect of the Court House. He served as Jefferson County Surveyor and laid out building lots throughout the county and lived both in Punxsutawney and Brookville. Throughout much of the nineteenth century, the profession of “architect” did not exist and any carpenter could identify himself as an architect. There were many builder’s guides that included detailed drawings, window and stair plans, trim, etc. Drum may have availed himself of such printed material without any formal training.

On September 1, 1866 the Republican reported, “Mr. James T. Dickey, the contractor for the erection of a Court House, has commenced operations, he having employed quite a number of men in getting out material, and we understand that soon the work of removing the old building will be commenced. It is our hope that Mr. Dickey may be successful in his undertaking, and be able, in the shortest possible time, to give us a building, worthy our humble little County.”

At the same time he was building the Court House, contractor Dickey was engaged by the Brookville Presbyterian Church to build the congregation a new house of worship (this building preceded the present 1905 church building).

The newspaper noted, “The plans and specifications call for a large and finished building, and Mr. Dickey’s reputation as a builder insures our Presbyterian friends a handsome church ere long.”

The Commissioners were faced with something of a dilemma in that, with the September 1866 demolition of the 1832 Court House, no place would exist for the regular holding of Court. This was solved by the Fall of 1866, since it was reported in November that the Commissioners had leased the Presbyterian Church (on the site of the present Presbyterian house of worship) for Court, and that an adjacent building owned by Parker P. Blood had been leased for offices; this building likely stood across White Street from the church.

This was obviously the largest construction project ever undertaken in Brookville.

As a measure of this, the newspaper reported on just the stone being hauled to the site: “The loads of four teams employed by Mr. Dickey in hauling stone for the new Court House were weighed last Saturday evening, resulting in a grand total of 24,414 pounds. Two of the loads weighed over 6,000 pounds each. This is considered very heavy for a single span of horses over the rough roads leading from here to the quarry.” The smooth-dressed foundation stones are of sandstone and, unfortunately, the location of the quarry is not known.

On September 25, 1867, the newspaper reported, “Work upon the Court House is progressing satisfactorily, and it promises to be a credit to the county. We examined the front door frame, gotten up at Judge Taylor’s factory, under the superintendence of Mr. H. V. Arnold, and we can say that for fine workmanship and beauty of finish it is rarely equaled in this section. The major part of the fine woodwork for the building is being done at the same place.” The Judge Taylor referred to here was Associate Judge Philip Taylor, who was a lumberman with a mill, and, apparently a finishing shop, on Sandy Lick Creek, near Belgiumtown.

The total cost of the new Court House is not known. In 1867 the Commissioners paid $26,800 toward the construction as well as $1,400 to Architect Drum. They were able to recoup some of their costs, since in April 1868 they sold the bell from the old Court House to Brookville’s Grace Lutheran congregation for $200. The bell was described as “one of the best in the county, and though old still rings forth its brazen notes in a clear and pleasant manner. It will add greatly to the convenience of the Church and also add materially to its value.” That bell continues to hang in the belfry of Grace church on Franklin Avenue and nearly two hundred years later retains its “clear and pleasant” tone.
Then as now, weather was a factor in the construction schedule.

In the Spring of 1868, it was reported, “Notwithstanding the unfavorable weather, which has greatly retarded the labors of the bricklayers, the work on our new Court House is progressing finely, and there is not a doubt but that Mr. Dickey will have the job completed at the specified time, and in December 1868 our Court will convene in one of the best and handsomest houses in Western Pennsylvania.”

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Despite the weather, in June 1868 the project was moving along. The editor of the Republican offered this opinion: “We are pleased to notice the progress made by the force employed by Mr. James T. Dickey in erecting our Court House. The building is assuming dimensions that seem quite formidable, and the excellent manner in which the brick is being done gives promise that our county shall have a Court House second to none in the northwestern part of the state. Mr. J. W. Drum the architect, gave the work a thorough inspection last week and pronounces the work and the materials of the very best order. Those knowing the perfection of workmanship and the degree of quality required of all material passing Mr. Drum’s inspection will have some idea of the great labor being accomplished by Mr. Dickey.

The new Court House was completed in 1869. The uppermost feature is the bell in the belfry that has hung there and chimed the hour daily since that date.

Award-winning photographer Kyle Yates climbed into the belfry and reported that the inscription on the bell dates it to 1868 and identifies it as the product of the A. Fulton & Sons Co. Fulton’s was in Pittsburgh and the firm cast bells from 1832 until 1910.

Regarding the architecture of the building itself, it is an eclectic mix of styles. Originally rectangular in plan, it was gable-roofed with a full return of the cornice and a three-bay façade with a centered entry and side elevations of nine bay, each separated by pilasters. The main entrance is centered on the façade, originally accessed by a 3-run straight stair. The building’s prominent windows are round-arched with multiple lights, characteristic of Colonial design. Beneath the eaves is a series of prominent wooden brackets, harkening to the Italianate style. The prominent bell tower hints at Colonial design. So, it is fair to say that Drum drew from various sources for his design. What is also clear that this landmark building was not just the result of an unskilled carpenter; it was designed by a builder who was familiar with classically derived proportions and with classical detail.

In 1902, work began to erect a drinking fountain in front of the Court House. In 1903, the Village Improvement Society, a womens’ civic group, presented the community with a public drinking fountain that was located at the corner of Main and Pickering Streets. The cast iron fountain was dedicated with great fanfare on October 23 with Judge John Reed presiding. The Brookville Cornet Band performed, and a rousing speech was given by Judge Reed, who reminded those in attendance of the days of hauling creek and spring water for drinking purposes and having to pay for the haulage based on the distance hauled and upon the weather. The cost of the fountain itself was $480.00, and including all installation costs, the project totaled $904.98.

The Republican concluded its coverage of the new drinking fountain as follows: “And now every thirsty one can drink to their fill at the town pump. Ho, everyone who is athirst come and drink of the water of this fountain. And he that has no money, come and drink without money and without price.” It is not known when it was removed.

Although it was never stated, this 1905 drinking fountain was apparently intended for animals, since in August 1915, the Jeffersonian Democrat reported. “There has been a drinking fountain for beasts on Main Street near the Court House for several years. The town council is now putting in one near the same place for men and boys.” No mention was made of women.

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The 1832 Sheriff’s House and Jail remained immediately west of the Court House. It was a modest 2-story 3-bay temple-form Greek Revival vernacular brick building with a gable roof and a full return of the cornice. It endured into the 1920s.

The 1869 Court House served with little alteration for a half-century. The third and final segment in this series of articles will discuss the 1927 addition and the other history of this Jefferson County landmark.

For more information on events happening in the PA Great Outdoors, go to VisitPAGO.com/events.                               https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/pennsylvania-great-outdoors-jefferson-county-courthouse-history-for-150th-birthday-part-2/#more-236296

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Jefferson County Courthouse at 150: A View of the Government

IMG_8811-1024x682.jpgBROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Jefferson County Commissioner John “Jack” Matson is proud of the courthouse near his office on Main Street in Brookville, but he wishes that the lower entrance was not the first thing a person sees when entering.

“I understand why,” Matson said. “You need a single entry, and this was the best one for metal detectors. I understand the security, but I wish that the first impression people had of the courthouse was the great hall outside the courtroom.”

If one has some business with the courthouse, there is a single entrance below the sweeping staircases at the front of the building. Those staircases are currently roped off due to the minor renovations, but Matson said the landing at the top works as a great stage to address the community. Inside, a visitor has to pass through metal detectors before seeing the Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Assessment and Tax Claim.

“The Sheriff has always been in this location,” Matson said. “It expanded, it used to be in one set of rooms, but it’s always been here.”

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Most of Jefferson County’s government offices were in the courthouse at one time in history. Now, the offices are spread out between the courthouse and the Jefferson Place down Main Street. In the courthouse, probation, geographic information services, the district attorney, prothonotary, public defender, register and recorder, and the previously-mentioned sheriff and assessment.

The marble walls of the courthouse have a unique feature. Since they were cut from the same stone, an imperfection in one slab will repeat on others. This pattern continues except for one panel, which has the imperfection missing. Matson theorizes that the panel was replaced.

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Where Matson wishes people could enter is less in the bowels of the building and more at its heart. The hallway outside the courtroom, marble and echoing, with a bust of Thomas Jefferson, evoke a sense of awe that Matson feels is important in the courthouse.

“You are coming to deal with the government of this country,” he said. “The government is powerful. The structure should be imposing to remind people of the weight of the decisions made in the courthouse.”

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The courtroom has its history on the walls and worn into the seats. Portraits of past judges hang around the courtroom. Matson said that the seating is often sparsely populated during trials, but when Jefferson County had its reputation as a hanging county — hanging more people after 1900 than before — the courthouse would be packed.

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The judge’s chambers, however, are a private inner sanctum that are not often viewed. Matson made sure he was able to go inside before entering the comfortable room just behind the courtroom. Inside, deer and other animals peer down at the desk and fireplace. Books and pictures line the walls. The personality of the judge seems to wrap around the room.

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The courthouse houses many essential services. Matson pointed to the old court records stored in bound books. Handwritten notes give way to printed notes, and eventually more modern methods. Even so, the records going back centuries, fill the rooms below a spiral staircase.

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As the 150th Anniversary approaches, Matson is thankful for renovations being done around the courthouse, inside and outside.

“It has a lot of history, and I’m glad they’re working on it to make it look nice for the celebration.”

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This is the latest article in a multi-part series celebrating the Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th anniversary. Check back later for additional articles.                                                                                                                                          https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/jefferson-county-courthouse-at-150-a-view-of-the-government/#more-235906

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Jefferson County Courthouse at 150: A View From The Clock Tower

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Jefferson County Courthouse has one feature that is both incredibly obvious yet somewhat mysterious.

The clock tower, rising above Main Street Brookville, is a clear piece of the landmark. Drawings and images of the courthouse, some dated 1878, show the tower overlooking the building through its many revisions over the years. However, seeing inside the tower is an honor that many residents have yet to enjoy.

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The clock tower, photographed from Main Street. The scaffolding for the paint touch-ups is visible.

Jefferson County Commissioner John “Jack” Matson has acted as a tour guide for the courthouse on several occasions. The bell tower, without a guide, is somewhere people visiting the courthouse do not get to see. Matson has guided people there, however. He leads them up a narrow staircase to the balcony over the courtroom. There, in that balcony, is another, narrower door and and even narrower staircase. To get to the ladder that leads up to the top of the tower, a visitor has to crawl under support beams and step over gaps in the structure as old as the building itself.

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Once there, however, it is clear that Jefferson County residents have wanted to ensure future generations see that they made the climb. The walls interior to the tower are decorated with names and dates.

“People write their names on the walls,” Matson said. “We have chalk there, in case someone wants to mark that they came up here.”

Matson pointed out that the oldest signature he found has “1885” written under it. While others may be older, in Matson’s searches, that year is the earliest he has found.

“It’s pretty amazing that people from this area have been putting their names on these walls for almost the whole 150 years it’s been here,” Matson said.

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The names fill almost every section of wall both around the bell house and on the bell house itself. Later names have been written in chalk, but there are different media present as people who visited the courthouse, presumably under positive circumstances, marked their passage. Matson has his signature on the wall, as do other Brookville leaders.

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The clock’s gears are encased in a house that is, in turn, encased in the tower. The extra protection keeps nature from damaging the assembly. The age of the tower, Matson said, means that very few people can maintain the equipment there.

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The ladder to the top of the tower is nestled in a corner overlooking the face of the clock. In anticipation of the 150th anniversary, the tower is currently being painted and repaired.

“A long time ago, we ignored maintenance on the building,” Matson said. “It cost us a lot of money to correct that. Now, we’re trying to keep up with it.”

The balcony over the courtroom, for instance, needs a little plaster work. When workers came to work on the tower many years ago, the original builders had a sort of skirt around it. No one knew why. It turned out, Matson said, that the skirt kept water from coming down the tower and into the courthouse. Without that structure, some of the ceiling in the balcony has crumbled. But that is something that can be corrected, and the cosmetic work being down on the tower, while making it difficult to get a great view of the town at the moment, will make sure the clock tower stays in perfect operation.

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Crawling up into the tower is not something Matson likes to do. When there, the wind whips hard and fast. The sound of Brookville seems distant, muted somewhat by the wind. During the construction work, a painter on a scaffold is more than helpful when someone wishes to see downtown. He helps navigate the scaffolding, telling where to put a foot or where to grab on for a handhold. He said that he usually paints big water towers, so painting this tower is not all that unnerving. However, looking down, anyone else might soon discover a new fear of heights, made worse by the tight space of the tower with the scaffolding closing in.

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Matson talked to courthouse employees while giving a personal tour. Some employees said that they had not been up in the tower even though they have worked in the courthouse for years. Even though the tower is there, rising above Brookville, and has seen 150 years of Brookville history pass beneath it, the idea that there is a life inside that tower seems foreign to those whose names are not on the walls.

Matson sees the tower as another element of the courthouse that is too important to lose. Instead of a nondescript flat building outside of town like other courthouses – like some residents had proposed when the courthouse needed those expensive renovations – Brookville has preserved a piece of history.

“I think it’s the most beautiful building in the county,” Matson said. “People come from all over to see it.”

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A view of Brookville from the Courthouse bell tower.

This is the latest article in a multi-part series celebrating the Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th anniversary. Check back later for additional articles.                                                                                                                                          https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/jefferson-county-courthouse-at-150-a-view-from-the-clock-tower/

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Jefferson County Courthouse at 150: Getting a Facelift

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BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Jefferson County Courthouse may be approaching 150 years old, but some work has been done to make sure that it looks as fresh as it did in 1869.

(Photos by Judy Buzard Schwab.)

This year, the entire structure was pressure washed. Then, old paint was scraped away to make way for new paint. The whites and reds have been repainted. The structure from the top of the bell tower to the foundation will soon sparkle like it was brand new.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Jefferson County Commissioner Herb Bullers said. “We did this project now because we were concerned that ignoring it would damage the building.”

M & A Coating of Washington, Pa., did the work on the courthouse.

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Bullers said the structure, for as old as it is, is in very good shape. They did find some concerning areas with the gutters and the roof, so the project includes taking care of those problems.

“The last time we worked on the building was about 10 years ago,” Bullers said. “We’re keeping it up, which is why it’s in good shape.”

The building as dedicated in September of 1869, replacing a single-story building brick structure that had occupied the space in the 1830s. The west wing was added in 1927, made to look like it was part of the original “Italianate” structure. An event is planned for its 150th anniversary this September.

This is the latest article in a multi-part series celebrating the Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th anniversary. Check back later for additional articles.

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Pennsylvania Great Outdoors: Jefferson County Courthouse History for 150th Birthday (Part 3)

Jefferson-County-Courthouse-Brookville-fPennsylvania Great Outdoors submitted the following blog on the history of the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Part Three of a three-part series of articles on the history of the Jefferson County Courthouse

Written by Dave Taylor. Interior Photos provided by Dave Taylor. Cover photo by Kyle Yates.

This is the third and final article focused upon the history of the Jefferson County Court House, a landmark that celebrates its sesquicentennial this year. The combined three articles will be published in the Jeffersonian Journal, published by the Jefferson County Historical Society. The first two articles chronicled the life of the Court House from its 1869 construction to the 1902 erection of a drinking fountain in front of the Court House on Brookville’s Main Street. This third piece deals with the 1927 remodeling and addition to the 1869 building and follows its general history to the present.

For the first half-century of its long life, the Court House underwent little physical change. The rectangular footprint remained the same, with the building accessed by a straight-run stair centered on the façade. A cast iron fence surrounded the building on three sides, also enclosing the 1832 brick jail that stood immediately west of the Court House. Flanking the stairway were two groups of cannon balls, likely remnants from the Civil War. They survived into the early years of the twentieth century but likely fell victim to the scrap metal drives of World War One. The Jefferson County Court House has hosted a wide variety of events over the decades. In the early years, several public hangings were held on the lawn between the Court House and the Jail. Those grisly events notwithstanding, one of the most unique events occurred in 1922 when a steeplejack climbed to the top of the cupola of the bell tower. The Jeffersonian Democrat reported:

P. J. O’Brien, a traveling steeplejack of everywhere in general and nowhere in particular, breezed into Brookville last Friday and just about supper time entertained a big crowd by climbing to the top of the Court House cupola without entering the building. O’Brian had himself lashed into a strait jacket and hoisted by the heels to the cornice of the Court House. Hanging head downward, he rid himself of the jacket and then climbed up over the cupola. A hat was passed for his benefit.

The Courtroom itself has always been located on the second floor and has served as the venue for numerous public meetings and events. In addition to shenanigans such as O’Brien’s daring–foolhardy?–1922 ascent and formal court activities, political rallies were held here, civic groups such as the W. C. T. U. met here, and the occasional musical program was given here, although the newspaper did complain about the acoustics! In later, more recent years, nonprofit groups have held events in both the Large and Small Courtroom including plays, historical meetings, and presentations by speakers.

By the 1920s, the County’s needs were outgrowing its 50-year-old seat of justice. Expanded office space was needed for the various County row officers; this name dates from the 1860s when officers such as the Prothonotary, Register and Recorder, Treasurer, etc. had their offices side-by-side in a row on the first floor of the Court House. As early as 1922, plans were being developed for improvements to the building.

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Under the heading ELABORATE PLANS FOR ALTERING COURT HOUSE, the Democrat reported:

Plans for completely remodeling the Court House and Jail at Main and Pickering Streets are on exhibition at the County Commissioners’ Office, having been drawn by the Emmett E. Bailey Company, of Oil City. ‘ Originally, the idea was to make such additions to the rear of the Court House, along Cherry Alley, as would provide additional space for court purposes and probably a fireproof vault or two for records which now are in constant peril of destruction. This idea has grown until, according to the Bailey plans, nothing will be left of the present buildings except the shell of the Court House. The Jail would be razed and the Sheriff’s Office, with detention cells, would be in an L running across the back of the lot on Cherry Alley toward the American Hotel. The fence about the Court House plot would disappear. The basement would be converted into office space and would house a public comfort station for women, County Superintendent’s Office, Farm Bureau, and fireproof vaults. Other fireproof vaults would be on other floors. The basement would be entered on the Main Street level. The present first floor of the Court House would be taken up principally by the Prothonotary’s, Commissioners’ and Treasurer’s Offices. Space for the minor offices, like the Jury Commissioners and County Auditors, would be provided. A large and small court room would be provided on the second floor, with rooms for jurors of both sexes, etc. on the second and third floors as convenient. A private judge’s chamber would be provided, and the Law Library would have ample room. A drafting room for the county surveyor would be on top floor. Specifications for the proposed work have not been drawn in detail. It is estimated that the cost would be not less than $100,000.

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An interesting sidelight to this discussion is that the leadership of Methodist Church, fearing that the Court House expansion might back up completely to their building, to protect themselves purchased the lot just north of Cherry Alley and demolished an existing old house that occupied that lot. On February 28, 1929. The Brookville Amercian reported, with the headline RAZE OLD HOME TO BEAUTIFY SPOT:

“Another of Brookville’s landmarks is to go. The building on the old Blood property on N. Pickering Street, between the Court House and the Methodist Church, is to be torn down and the landscape plotted. This property belongs to the church, having been purchased by the trustees ten years ago when it was mentioned as a probable site for a jail building. Considerable agitation was aroused at the time over the possibility of the jail being built up against the church, and the trustees bought it to assure that no objectionable building would be placed there. It will not only add greatly to the beauty of the church building, but it was also set off the Court House to great advantages.”

As early as 1923 the County Commissioners advertised for bids for the project. At that time no registered architect lived in Jefferson County, and Emmett Bailey of Oil City was chosen to design the project. He was a regionally-prominent practitioner who had designed the new Brookville Hospital in 1919. Heated discussions ensued over the next years until bids were finally opened in February, 1927. Brookville contractor Ray H. Richards was the low bidder at $267,000. A motion was offered that the Commissioners turn the issue over to a grand jury, but that motion died for the lack of a second. Another motion was offered and passed 2-1, with Commissioner Perry Wingert dissenting.

The proposed Court House project was not without its other detractors. Letters to the Editor decried the renovation of a 50-year-old building and at least one legal attempt sought to halt the process. In March 1927, an injunction was filed that was heard by Venango County Judge W. M. Parker. Judge Parker denied the injunction and the project went on.

The 1927-1928 project resulted in the area around the Court House to be excavated, allowing for larger windows to penetrate the foundation and to allow natural light into the renovated basement. The main entrance remained centered on the façade, but a forward-projecting granite entryway replaced the 1867 straight-run stair, incorporating a grand staircase of two opposing circular runs of granite, wrought iron railings and a series of wrought iron lights posts with acorn-top globes.

In 1927, just as all County activities had been disrupted with the 1866-1869 construction of the Court House, the Commissioners were faced with a space dilemma. They leased the 1915 Brookville Park Auditorium, located on part of the Fairgrounds, a building later known as the “White Elephant.” The offices and the Court moved into the building which was renovated and the stage was remodeled to serve as a courtroom. The Jeffersonian Democrat of May 12, 1927 reported:

Jefferson County offices will soon be doing business in the Brookville Park Building. Work of moving was started several days ago and the next few days will see all the Court House offices located in their temporary home where they will remain until the reconstruction of the present Court House is completed. The Judge’s chambers, law library and court room fixtures were the first to be moved; yesterday the moving of the Commissioners’ office was completed, and the removing of the other offices will be carried thru as rapidly as possible. The arrangement of the offices in the Park Building will be similar to their arrangement in the Court House. Immediately inside the entrance, the office of Judge Darr will be found on the right and directly opposite will be the office of C. A. Anderson, County Superintendent of Schools. Passing thru the lobby and into the main auditorium, the offices of the Register and Recorder and County Commissioners will be found on the right side of the building and those of the Prothonotary and County Treasurer will be located on the left. Space for the Sheriff and Jefferson County Farm Bureau will also be provided. The stage of the Park Building has been arranged as a court room, with the Judge’s bench, jury box, and chairs for attorneys and witnesses. There will be very little, if any, room for spectators, [but] it is thought the space will be ample for necessary requirements. The first session of court in the temporary quarters will be naturalization court, which will be held early in June.

The Court House itself was not the only building impacted by the reconstruction project. The adjacent Jail and Sheriff’s Residence was older yet, having been built in 1832. Architect Bailey examined the 90-year-old building and pronounced it unsafe. On May 12, 1927, it was reported:

The Jefferson County jail building on Monday of this week was condemned as unsafe for occupancy and will be vacated within the next thirty days, it was stated at the sheriff’s office this week. An inspection of the jail building was made on Monday by Emmett E. Bailey, of Oil City, architect in charge of the Court House reconstruction, at the request of the County Commissioners, and Mr. Bailey pronounced the building unsafe. The part of the building occupied by the cells is in fair condition, but in the portion used by the sheriff and his family the wall have begun to crack and crumble. Sheriff C. F. Evans recently purchased the property of Eugene Smith, on Walnut street, and will move his family there as soon as it is vacated by Mr. Smith. The Sheriff’s office and the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, which is also in the Jail building, will be located in the Park Building with the other county offices. County Commissioners are endeavoring to make arrangements with Clarion County authorities for the housing of Jefferson prisoners in the Clarion jail, and it is thought that such an arrangement will be affected. No plans have been made as yet for the tearing down of the jail building, but it will probably be removed within the next few months. The new jail will be located in the wing being added to the Court House.

Heated discussion was also held regarding the Architect’s fee of 4% of the construction fee and of the payment of a $4,000 invoice from Bailey. Coincidences? The injunction seeking to halt the project was denied by the Venango County Judge and the Architect was from Oil City, Venango County. Architect Bailey pronounced the Jail and Sheriff’s Residence unsafe when he had already designed new cells in the new wing and the Sheriff had bought a house elsewhere in town. We’ll never know, but in any case the project went on.

By August of 1928 the renovation was complete and the various office moved back into their rehabilitated home. The Jeffersonian Democrat of August 23 commented:

“Work of moving the county offices the BrookvilIe Park Building into the remodeled Court House has practically been completed, and county business is again functioning practically as usual. interior of the remodeled building is strikingly handsome and sufficient space is provided to care for county’s needs for years to come. After the landscaping of the courtyard is completed and grass can begin to grow, the appearance of the outside will not be so barren.” At the same time Brookville’s C. S. Ferguson, a landscape gardener, was awarded the contract for the landscaping of the lawn.

The lights on the new grand staircase caught the eye of the Editor of the Democrat:

Have you ever noticed what a difference it makes at night when the lights at the front of the county Court House are lit? All the difference in the world. I, transforms the appearance of the Court House block as nothing else could. An otherwise dark section of Main street is illuminated, and the appearance of the whole street is greatly improved. Before the Court House was remodeled a single arc light hung at the entrance which was seldom lighted, usually when there were night gatherings in the Court House and occasionally at other times. Even this single light, when burning, helped to chase away the gloom. Just because the building is a public one is no reason why it should be enshrouded in darkness from sundown to sunup. Public buildings should be illuminated as much, if not more than private ones. While we do not favor any needless expenditure of county funds, we believe that the most prominent building in the county should be properly lighted for a few hours each evening. Not necessarily all night, but until 10 or 11 o’clock. The proportion cost of the electricity used would be small and the total cost per year would be a negligible amount in county expenditures. As a matter of civic pride and out of respect to our seat of justice, let’s have the Court House properly lighted up every evening.

The long-held rivalry between Brookville, the County seat, and Punxsutawney, the largest Jefferson County town reared its ugly head at one point. The Editor of the Democrat noted in August 1928

“To the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit, the new County Court House is a thing of beauty on the inside. The outside of the structure, in his estimation, could be any one of several things, but he mentions only its likeness to a box factory. And he can’t get over the thought that the taxpayers were flambozzled into getting under a load of $400,000 for its construction. This is all right for the editor to say that. He has said this much several times. It won’t be long now till he wears out in his crusade against the improvement and then it is likely to be something else.”

A Soldiers’ Memorial, built of brownstone was designed and erected in 1920 by contractor John H. Carr on Pickering Street. In 1928 Carr relocated it to the Court House lawn near the former site of the Jail and Sheriff’s Residence. Many decades later it was replaced by a modern Veterans’ Memorial and only the ball finial of the historic monument remains.

jefferson-county-courthouse-circa-19403.

Over the many decades since the 1927-1928 addition and remodeling of the Court House, relatively few structural changes have taken place to the historic building. A remarkably architecturally sensitive elevator addition was constructed in the angle of the L-shaped building, from designs by Brookville architect William L Snyder, Jr. In later years, a major rehabilitation of the entire building took place under the watchful eye of Clerk-of-the-Works John Hegburg. This massive project replaced the roof, updated all the mechanicals, and repaired portions of the exterior that had deteriorated. Much like the 1927 project, this rehabilitation had its detractors who suggested that a new building should be built elsewhere. Fortunately for all Jefferson Countians, those minority opinions failed to prevail, and the Jefferson County Court House of 1869 and 1927—and now of 2019–remains a cultural landmark that celebrates jurisprudence in the County and is an architectural paperweight within downtown Brookville and the National Register-listed Brookville Historic District.

For more information on events happening in the PA Great Outdoors, go to VisitPAGO.com/events.                               https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/pennsylvania-great-outdoors-jefferson-county-courthouse-history-for-150th-birthday-part-3/#more-239341

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