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By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckeniebanner.com |
After years of languishing in disrepair, Carroll
County’s 74-year-old courthouse building is receiving a
much needed $1.12 million dollar interior “basement to
ceiling” renovation.
The project, authorized by the county’s law enforcement
and budget committees and implemented by construction
manager Lashlee-Rich, Inc. of Humboldt, began on
September 14 of 2005 and is scheduled for completion in
May this year.
During construction, the exhibit building located at the
Carroll County Fairgrounds/Civic Center is being
utilized as a temporary relocation site for court
proceedings.
History reveals that the current renovation to the
venerable seat of justice is certainly not its first.
Courthouse Construction and Renovation History.
Long before the present Carroll County Courthouse was
erected in 1931 on the public square in Huntingdon, a
secession of courthouses had already occupied the space
upon which the current structure resides.
Property records reveal, however, that Huntingdon was
not home to the first court proceedings held in Carroll
County. That distinction belongs to the town of
McLemoresville, where the first Court of Pleas and
Quarter was assembled at the home of R.E.C. Dougherty on
March 11, 1822.
The first courthouse building, built in Huntingdon in
late 1822, was a one-room log cabin without a floor.
Records divulge that Nathan Nesbit, chairman of the
court of pleas and quarter sessions, used a cross-cut
saw to cut a path through the woods from his residence
five miles east of Huntingdon to reach the building on
December 9, 1822. Upon arrival, legend states that
Nesbit sawed an entrance door into the building, and
officially opened the court for business. After being
utilized for two years, the first courthouse was sold in
1824 to John Crockett, who moved the building from the
site and converted it into a kitchen.
Built in 1844, the fourth Courthouse
burned in 1931.
Land purchase records reveal that a 50-acre tract of
land, which included the site of the first courthouse
building, was purchased from Thomas Hunt, executor of
the will of Mimucan Hunt of North Carolina, on July 21,
1823.
The second courthouse, built in late 1823 on the same
site as the original courthouse, consisted of a 20 x 24
foot wooden frame house. Utilized until 1830, the
building was sold to Robert Murray who moved it to a lot
located east of the public square converting it into a
warehouse.
Courthouse number three, a 30 by 50 foot brick
structure, was constructed in late 1830. The building’s
foundation was built by Jacob Bledsoe and John Parker,
with brick masonry provided by John and George Simmons.
Joel H. Smith was the structural carpenter. The building
was home to the court until it was replaced by the
fourth courthouse building, erected in 1844.
Contracted by Thomas Banks and Joel B. Smith, the fourth
courthouse was built at a cost of $12,000. The rock used
for the building’s foundation was transported to the
site from neighboring Benton County. Brick work for the
building was sub-contracted to William S. New, who
charged one cent per brick actual count. New reportedly
suffered a large financial loss in fulfilling his
contractual commitment. When completed, the structure
stood two stories tall and housed two offices and a
courtroom on each floor. Utilized for 87 years, the
building succumbed to fire and the remains were
demolished in 1931.
The present courthouse has also seen its share of past
renovation upgrades. During the administration of Pat
Williams in 1980, Barger Construction Company of
Huntingdon replaced the crumbling and unsafe exterior
steps. More recently, an elevator system was installed
in the south section of the building--at a cost of
$100,000--for the purpose of providing handicapped
citizens with accessibility to court proceedings held on
the second floor.
Today, drastic changes to the facility are well underway
and, for many, way overdue.
“It’s way past time to do this,” stated Carroll County
Mayor Kenny McBride during an interview regarding
demolition and remodeling upgrades. “The building is
severely outdated and must be upgraded to comply with
current fire code and safety standards. There’s a lot of
asbestos around water piping that must be removed, old
electrical wiring that must be replaced, and a lot of
other things to change that may or may not be visible to
the public.” He continued, “The work is time consuming
and thorough, but it will drastically improve the
building structurally and cosmetically.”
An older view of the current Courthouse.
The courthouse’s prior appearance had been deemed a
“disgrace” by some court officials, who stated that it
was an embarrassment for visiting judges and legal
professionals.
McBride said that the courthouse renovation project will
not precipitate an increase in taxes. He explained that,
due to retirement of capital outlay notes utilized for
the decade-old jail expansion project, the county has
been able to divert debt service funds to pay for the
courthouse construction costs.
Prior to a January 6 tour of the facility, Kenneth Todd,
county clerk and master, highlighted numerous changes
that were being implemented.
Todd stressed that security and safety measures for the
north end of the building were a priority. He explained
that all north-end exterior entrance and interior doors
from the basement to the third floor would be used by
court officials and law enforcement exclusively and will
be accessible by key card entry only. Todd said the
modification will provide safety for judges, attorneys
and law enforcement personnel who utilize the stairs to
transport inmates in and out of the building. As an
additional safety feature, he explained that all key
entry door lock mechanisms would be electronically
linked to the fire alarm system, allowing for the doors
to open automatically to allow for evacuation from the
north end of the building should an emergency occur.
Commencing a tour of the third floor, Todd explained
that offices once located on the northern corner of the
building had been eliminated to provide for new
construction of a spacious judges’ chamber. Newly
constructed men’s and women’s bathrooms and
attorney/client conference rooms are being added as
well.
The bronze doors will soon be a thing of
the past.
Adjacent to the judges’ chambers on the third floor,
Todd noted that an additional room will be utilized to
house heating and cooling duct work. He explained that
the duct system is hidden behind chase walls that ascend
from the basement through the first and second floor,
with the actual cooling system located on the courthouse
lawn rather than on the roof. He elaborated, “We didn’t
want to place the system up there without knowing
whether the roof had been fitted with sufficient steel
reinforcement bar within the roof slab to support the
weight. You just don’t want to put something that heavy
overhead without knowing for certain that it will be
safe to do so.” Todd explained that the workers did not
possess any of the original courthouse construction blue
prints, and had no idea as to what difficulties they
might encounter during the project.
Todd said that not all of the surprises encountered were
problematic in nature. He stated that one such exception
was revealed during demolition when workers uncovered
beautiful, ornate moldings near the top of the third
floor ceiling. “We didn’t know the molding was up there
until it was exposed. You can’t explain how beautiful it
is. My hope is that it can be saved and incorporated
into the building’s new appearance.”
Descending the staircase to the second floor, Todd
divulged that the room’s interior had been completely
reduced to a “shell”, allowing for the construction of
two new courtrooms, two jury boxes, a client-attorney
conference room, inmate holding cell, and men and
women’s restroom facilities.
He explained that the layout of the two court rooms will
basically be the same as the previous ones, but with
notable, technologically innovative upgrades.
The back walls of each court room, he noted, will be
lined with sound absorbing acoustical material that will
greatly improve audio quality while reducing noise.
Additionally, the best currently available audio and
visual components will be installed in each room for the
purpose of providing attorneys and law enforcement
officials usage of DVD, VCR, or audio based media to
exhibit taped evidence and witness testimony. Huge
plasma video projection screens will also be added to
each court room to aid in ease of viewing visual
presentation of information.
Todd stated that one alteration, though small in
comparison to many of the changes, will immeasurably
improve public safety. “The construction crew is doing
away with a window that currently occupies the inmate
holding cell. We’ve had a few inmates escape through it
in the past, but that problem is in the process of being
taken care of,” he noted.
On the first floor, Todd explained the many changes that
were being implemented there as well. He noted that the
entire flooring tile was scheduled to be removed
entirely and replaced. Also, a large, beautiful
chandelier would be installed and hang from the ceiling
above the center of the room to provide both lighting
and grandeur.
“It’s really going to impressive to look at,” he added.
Todd explained that one of the proposed changes to the
first floor was not welcome. He stated, “One of the most
visibly attractive features of the courthouse for me is
the four bronze-clad wood double entrance doors. They
are absolutely an integral part of this buildings
personality, but, unfortunately, they won’t be staying.”
Pausing to inspect one of the doors, Todd revealed how
they had become irreversibly weather damaged. He
explained, “Behind the bronze skin covering, water has
been seeping in for a long time, and has rotted the
doors’ wood core. We’ve tried to come up with various
ways to save them, but weren’t able to do it. We talked
to Republic Door about fabricating new inside cores, but
they told us that it just wasn’t feasible. I truly
regret it,” he added. Todd stated that the bronze double
doors will be replaced by single entrance doors.
Continuing the tour in the basement area, Todd noted
that significant changes were also occurring there. A
huge steam boiler, once the primary source of heat for
the building, has been dismantled and removed. Large
steel pipes that had dispersed heated water throughout
the structure had also been removed and all remaining
water lines had been purged of asbestos. Remaining drain
lines, which originate at the roof, would be covered to
present a more cosmetically pleasing appearance. The
entire floor surface would be replaced, and fresh paint
would be applied to brighten the appearance of the walls
and ceiling.
Todd smiled as he spoke of another impressive feat that
had occurred during the construction: the near
miraculous preservation of numerous decaying courthouse
record books.
“Some of the books date back as far back as 1822, and
many were in absolutely deplorable condition,” he said.
It is amazing to me that they were able to save so many
of them. The pages were so brittle that they would
crumble and fall apart if you attempted to turn them.”
Todd noted that the documents were rescued due to a
concerted effort by University of Tennessee Martin
archivists and Jerry Cox of the Gordon Browning Museum
and Genealogical Library. He said that archivists had
sealed the basement and employed environmentally
altering equipment to rehumidify the books in order that
they could be handled without causing any further
destruction. He added that the records have been moved
to the Gordon Browning Library, located on the public
square in McKenzie, and are available for public
viewing.
“The pages have been placed flat inside acid-free
coverings, and are protected from climatic damage. They
literally saved a great deal of Carroll County history.”
Todd elaborated, “Let’s say that you wanted to research
an event that had occurred in your families past back in
1931. You’ll be able to go to the Browning Library and
access that information and even photo-copy sections of
interest. Births, marriages, land purchases, divorce,
death--they are there for your viewing,” he explained.
The courthouse is also receiving exterior refinement. A
lightweight drivit (waterproofing) finish will be used
to cover unsightly and unsanitary open cavity spaces
above the four main entrance doors were soffitt facades
once hung. The facades were removed a few years ago
after one dislodged and crashed onto the porch steps
during the night. Pigeons had since used the cavity
areas to roost and deposit unsightly and unhealthy
droppings onto the porch area.
Concluding the tour, Todd said, “The finished product
will be impressive. It’s really going to look a lot
different in here.” |
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