COURT IN OLDE CLARKE COUNTIE
September 21, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’ve posted before here and here about the renovation of the upstairs court room in the Clarke County Court House in Quitman. The photo to the right shows the court room when the renovation had just begun. You can see the plywood panelling that sheathed the room, as well as the placement of the jury box at that time. Glory be for the renovation!
The court room was encased in plywood panelling in the 1970’s. Before then, there was a large, pot-bellied stove in front of what you see in this photo as the witness stand. The stove provided heat for the entire court room. In cold weather, lawyers would stand by the stove and warm their hands during trials as they questioned witnesses (who sat on the judge’s left-hand side in those pre-panelling days) or addressed the jury. When the panelling was added, the ceiling was lowered and central air and heating were installed in the balcony. The lowered ceiling concealed the machinery, pipes and conduits. The panelling also concealed all of the windows, so that the court room was a fluorescent-lit, windowless chamber.
In the court room today, you can observe two doors, one in the jury box and one in the rear of the court room, that open out onto the balcony. Until those doors were concealed behind the panelling, it was the practice when court was called into session for the bailiff to go out on the balcony and announce loudly to the bystanders in the streets below that court was in session, and inviting all who may have any business to come forward and be heard.
By the 1990’s, before the addition to the east side of the building, with its new court room, the court house had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Some of the windows behind the panelling were broken, letting in rain and inviting birds to nest in the walls. It was not uncommon to hear cooing pigeons throughout a trial. Eighteen-wheelers lumbering in low gear along Archusa Avenue in front of the building made the windows rattle and shake to such an extent that it was often necessary to pause in questioning a witness until they passed. The disrepair was not limited to the windows. In one case I tried, my client and I had to move our table several feet when a sudden thunderstorm sent a stream of water from the ceiling right onto my case file.
It’s all better now, thanks to forward-looking Clarke County leadership.
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Thanks to George Warner, former DA and Chancellor, for some of these recollections.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ivey
DEDICATION DAY
September 26, 2010 § 1 Comment
The renovated “old courtroom” upstairs in the Clarke County Courthouse was dedicated today in a program attended by Clarke Countians and elected officials.
This is what the official program said about the renovation:
“Clarke County’s present Court House was constructed in the heart of the county seat in 1912. Nearly 60 years later, in 1969, the courtroom was remodeled, closing in the full-length windows on the east and west walls, and covering the balcony by the addition of a suspended Celotex ceiling. This provided a location for the large boiler system to heat and cool the building, since the third floor offices were no longer in use, except for use as storage space.
“By the year 2000, county officials discovered the availability of federal and state grants to be used for improvements to government buildings. Through grants provided by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Historic Preservation Division of the “Save America’s Treasures” Act, work was begun to restore our historic 1912-era courtroom to its original grandeur.
“In 2008, Supervisor Tony Fleming organized the demolition process, using county employees and inmates from the Clarke County jail, to gut the area so that accurate blueprints could be produced. By January of 2009, local architect David Henderson of AEDD Plus and contractor BP Roofing and Construction of Laurel, Mississippi, had begin work.
“Since all historic structures are required to adhere as closely as practicable to the original design, every effort was made to replicate the original handiwork. Most of the flooring is original to the building, as are the large ceiling beams. The metal ceiling panels are exact duplicates of those used in the original construction.
“Today we proudly present our newly-restored courtroom to the people of Clarke County. Let us remember to be grateful for the foresight of our county officials in providing a stately and securebuilding in which to conduct our county’s business.”
My previous post about the renovation is here.
Photos from the program:
The crowd gathers for the program
Board of Supervisors President Arthur Nelson chairs the program
Circuit Clerk Beth Doggett recognizes the judges and elected officials
L to R, Chancellor Primeaux, Circuit Judge Bailey, retired Ciruit Judge Williamson, Circuit Judge Williamson, retired Chancellor Warner
L to R, Dist. 4 Supervisor Paul Mosley, Sheriff Todd Kemp, Dist. 2 Supervisor Cleveland Peebles, Dist. 3 Supervisor Willie Roberson, Dist 5 Supervisor Tony Fleming, and Dist 1 Supervisor and Board President Arthur Nelson
Chancery Clerk Angie Chisholm hosts the reception refreshments downstairs
Father and son: Circuit Judge Lester F. WIlliamson, Jr. on the left and retired Circuit Judge Lester F. Williamson, Sr. on the right
The Better Chancery Practice Blog 