1811
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The first Geauga County Courthouse was built
this year; it was a log cabin with a lean-to jail annexed. It was located
on the southeast corner of the Chardon Square Park.
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1812
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Chardon
was established this year, although it was settled in 1808, and named for
Peter Chardon Brooks, who owned the land.
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1813
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The
commissioners felt a regular courthouse was in order, and erected a courthouse
located behind the area where Lehman Pharmacy sets.
Samuel King arrived and built a log structure
first floor, and a frame construction second floor. Needless to say, this
has been called the King courthouse (Second Courthouse).
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1814-18
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Sometime
during this period, Geauga County had its first and only legal hanging.
A Mr. Wright had stabbed someone at the regular gathering of the State Militia,
and was sentenced to hang for it. This event caused quite a furor, and the
largest gathering of the time was on hand to witness the event. Mr. Wright's
last request was to hear his own funeral sermon; as a consequence, and to
honor the request, the procession stopped at the south end of the park for
Mr. Wright to listen to the minister give his eulogy. The procession then
proceeded halfway to the Gilded Cock Tavern by the old B & O railroad
tracks. Mr. Wright's mother's last words to him were said to have been,
"keep a stiff upper lip and hang straight as a steelyard."
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1824-29
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A
third courthouse was erected where Court Street now sets. This Courthouse
was made of brick, and housed the offices of all the elected officials except
the Prosecutor who worked out of his own private office. This Courthouse
had a jail in the basement. The first section of the Courthouse was completed
in 1824; the second section in 1829. Added later, in 1845, was a wooden
cupola (purchased by subscription) on top of the two-story brick Courthouse.
The Sheriff made his residence in the Courthouse; his children who were
born there, later bragged about being born in jail.
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1868
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On
July 24th of this year, during the middle of the night, fire erupted in
three different locations on the square -- it was suspected arson. A shift
in the wind, from out of the northwest direction to out of the southwest
direction, apparently caused the wooden cupola to catch fire; the entire
square, with the exception of the Methodist Church (located where the car
title bureau is presently) burned.
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1869
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A
fourth Courthouse was built in the middle of the north park on the square
or commons as it was then called; travelers and visitors would allow their
horses to roam in the fenced-in area and graze; it was a common area for
all the townsfolk. The Courthouse, built on this commons, violated the town
plat; no buildings were to be erected on the town commons to obstruct the
view of the park through North Street. However, no one appeared to object.
The cost of construction was $88,862. The style was Romanesque in the North
Italian Mode (Italian Villa).
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The
County offices housed in this new Courthouse were as follows: Auditor, Treasurer,
Recorder, Common Pleas Court, Probate Court, Clerk of Courts, Surveyor's
Office, and the County School Board. There was even vacant office space
left over at that time. The Courtroom was spectacular; it was on the second
floor, and went all the way to the roof of the third floor. There was a
balcony for spectators to watch the proceedings. Town Caucuses were held
in the Courthouse for the election of County officials by voice vote.
The Court itself did not hold sessions in
the summertime for the reason that, in a rural area, farmers had to work
in the summer A jury was difficult to assemble, so the Court accommodated
the populace This practice continued until the end of World War II.
There was a bell in the tower. High school
children got the janitor to take them up for two reasons: one, to see ?Painesville
and Lake Erie; two, to hear the bells ring at a distance so close they could
not hear themselves think.
A rope for the bell hung down to the second
floor; the bailiff would ring it when court was in session, and the spectators
would scurry to watch the show.
The clock on the tower was purchased by subscription
(donation). The janitor had to wind it up every week with a windlass. The
weights on the clock were so heavy that when one broke in the l900's, it
fell through a floor and ceiling before coming to rest.
Each of the offices had a woodburning stove.
The Courtroom stove was a ground woodburner. A jail cell was maintained
in the basement.
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1900
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On January 31, a
fire broke out in a chimney where it was later discovered that a beam of
the Courthouse had been built into the chimney. It took 31 years to catch
fire.
Shortly thereafter, a central heating coal
furnace was put in the basement. Coal was shoved in through a window. Oil
lamps were replaced by a single electric light bulb in each ;room which
burned your eyes if you looked at it. Each light had a grandiose ornamental
block walnut wood carving surrounding it.
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1930's
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Two
chimneys on the east side of the Courthouse were struck by lightning and
knocked down. the remainder of the chimneys were then lowered to the roof
level.
The WPA project caused considerable changes
in the Courthouse. In order to house the Welfare offices, the Gallery in
the Courtroom was taken out. No longer could spectators have the upper view.
the Welfare offices comprised the southern portion of the third floor. The
WPA workers sanded, varnished, painted, and completely cleaned up the Courthouse.
The two great steel doors on the front were
removed and replaced with the present doors.
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1960
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An
elevator was put in to allow for a ride to the third floor.
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1965
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The
dome in the Courtroom was eliminated; the ceiling was lowered to conventional
heights, and the Probate Court was moved to the third floor over the old
courtroom.
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1976
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A
second Common Pleas judge was secured for the county as the result of an
increase in population and court cases. The two judges shared one courtroom,
and occasionally had access to the Probate Courtroom.
This was also the year the Chardon Park, including
the Courthouse, was entered into the National Register of Historical Places.
Tours were conducted through the Courthouse during the Maple Festival.
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1977
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The
Courthouse was completely renovated. All the elected officials not dealing
with the courts were moved across Main Street to the Courthouse Annex. Three
judges (two Common Pleas and one Probate) presided, the Clerk of Courts,
and one Court of Appeals judge remained. A new courtroom was constructed
on the first floor, and the building is as you see it today. The cost of
renovation was $325,000
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1978
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On
May 26th at 11:55 a.m., the tower, which had been weakened with age partially
because it had been built with soft bricks (sans mortar of today) was rendered
into a damaged state by a stroke of lightning. Because of the historical
significance of the building, the plans and designs had to be approved by
the State Historical Society. In addition, Federal funding funneled through
the state Historical Society helped to pay the costs of $I05,000. Chardonians
didn't hear the bells for two years, nor did they know the time.
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The
Geauga County Courthouse exceeds a century in age. It has served the Geauga
County residents well.
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This
data was compiled and prepared by Paul A. Newman, Esq. Factual information
was supplied by Maude Beech, Mark Sperry, Esq., Keith Douglas, and George
Barnum.
February 27, 1981
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The
Geauga