BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th birthday might have gone unnoticed had Jefferson County Commissioner Jack Matson not decided to go through some old files.
“I was reviewing files, just seeing what we had,” Matson said. “I came across this incomplete history of the courthouse. I saw that it was completed in September of 1869 and thought, ‘I’ll be in office for the 150th!’ That’s how this got started.”
Matson discovered that finding history for the courthouse was not as easy as a quick Google search.
“The information isn’t stored in one place,” Matson said. “Different historical societies have pieces of it. I’m hoping the 150th will stir up some memories and cause people to come in to fill in the gaps.”
The Jefferson County Courthouse, shown here in an old image of how it would have looked around the turn of the 20th Century. (Image provided by Jack Matson.)
Part of the problem of finding information is sorting through stacks and stacks of old, often handwritten, information. Matson said he talked to some people who have a huge stack of old records, but no one has gone through those stacks to organize them. One bit of history also connected Matson to an old saying.
“I was given this linen tape,” Matson said. “It was red tape. The old court documents were bound together by this red tape, and you had to cut through it to get to the information. Hence, to cut through red tape. But that’s part of the issue: the courthouse has so much information in big binders. It’s of great historical significance, but no one has the time or desire to go through it, and we’re running out of space to keep it!”
When dealing with piecing together history for an old landmark, any historian has to dig through myths and legends around the landmark. One such legend tied to the stairs that are now at the front of the building. In an earlier photo of the courthouse, the stairs are missing and the stone of the foundation is hidden.
“The story goes that the community proposed lifting the building up and expanding the foundation and adding stairs,” Matson recounted. “The engineer in charge of the job said that the building wasn’t designed to be lifted up like that, so it couldn’t be done. When he came to do the inspection, he found that the building was already in the air! Now, a local historian told me that this is just a story, but how did they get those stairs on the front of the building?”
This image of the Jefferson County Courthouse is a finished architectural drawing from when the court added steps to the front of the building. (Image provided by Jack Matson,)
Even without knowledge of the history or legends surrounding the courthouse, the Jefferson County Courthouse stands as one of the most-recognizable structures in the county. Matson feels that it is the most-beautiful building in the county, and the courtroom is certainly the nicest room.
“The courthouse reminds us of our past,” he said. “It shows us how important our region was. You wouldn’t build a building like this if the community wasn’t prosperous. You cannot be a resident of this county and now use that building. It’s important to your life at some point.”
Matson pointed out that the building is where residents go for marriage licences, genealogy resources, adoption applications, mortgages, and more. It is not just a place where someone goes to find out if they get to spend time in jail.
“A lot of what goes on there is positive,” Matson said. “The courthouse provides a sense of pride for the county. I was a private citizen when the renovation was done. People said we didn’t need the building anymore and a steel-pole building would do the job. I disagree. This courthouse is a symbol, and it should be big. If you’re being judged by the county, there’s weight behind that.”
As the county commissioners prepare for the building’s 150th celebration, the goal is to make sure that the symbol of Jefferson County also has positive stories to balance the weight of judgement.
The courthouse now, courtesy of Kyle Yates Photography.
“We’ve set up a Facebook site for people to share their county courthouse stories,” Matson said. “We want anyone who has every worked in the building to come to the celebration, and we’ll commemorate the event with a pin or some token. The only icon in Jefferson County more recognizable than the courthouse is Punxsutawney Phil. We should celebrate that.”
This is the first article in a multi-part series celebrating the Jefferson County Courthouse’s 150th anniversary. Check back later for additional articles.
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
