Monroe County Courthouse in Woodsfield, Ohio

Photo taken July 2012

WOODSFIELD, OH - On Jan. 29, 1813, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Monroe County. Residents named the county in honor of James Monroe, then the United States secretary of state and eventually the fourth president of the United States. The county used to be parts of Belmont, Guernsey and Washington counties.

The Monroe County Courthouse is located in Woodsfield and is one of few courthouses located in a town square. The original courthouse was a two-story log structure built in 1816 by James Carrothers. That original structure was built on the current location and stood until 1829 when it was destroyed by fire.

A second courthouse was built of brick and subsequently destroyed by fire in 1867. A third larger brick building replaced that and served as the hub of county government until once again a fire destroyed the building on Jan. 5, 1905.

The cornerstone for the current structure was laid Oct. 6, 1906, and construction was completed in 1908. The firm of Samuel Hannaford & Sons designed the structure with its Neo-Classical Revival style of architecture. The architects were well-known for their work in Cincinnati where the firm designed and supervised the construction of many of the city's most important buildings, including Cincinnati City Hall.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1980, the building's original blueprints remain in the courthouse to this day, and officials are currently in the process of framing them for public display.

The building is constructed of red brick with yellow brick quoins and pediments atop a large cut stone foundation. Contractor for the construction was R.H. Evans of Zanesville. The materials were brought in on the O. R. & W. Railroad, and the cost of the project was $150,000.

The dome of the courthouse sits atop an open cupola and is similar in design to the tower of the Tuscarawas County Courthouse, which was erected some 20 years earlier in New Philadelphia. The dome was once adorned with bright copper plating, which was removed due to public dissatisfaction.

The top sits at a height of 119 feet above the ground and features one of the largest clocks in the country, and the large timepiece can be seen from miles away. The Howard Clock Co. of New York installed its four faces in 1908. Cost of the clock was originally $2,775. The clock originally had to be wound by hand, and janitor W.F. Matz and his son, Lewis, made the climb up the ladder from the third floor to the dome regularly to complete the task until an electric motor was installed in 1947.

The front entrance to the building is reached from Main Street by ascending a small flight of stairs shielded by a segmented arched pediment at the roofline supported by massive corner piers and a pair of Ionic columns.

The first floor was recently remodeled and now contains a new courtroom that is directly adjacent to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and new offices for the prosecuting attorney and adult probation officers. The area originally housed the Soil and Water Conservation offices and the janitorial rooms.

"This office was built on the location where the janitors' quarters were located," explained Monroe County Adult Probation Officer Jason Harter. "The janitors used to live right here in the courthouse."

The second and third floors are finished in marble with oak walls and decorative tile floors.

When ascending the north side stairwell from the second to the third floor, one views an amazing stained glass window that reaches from the landing up to the third floor ceiling.

The third floor houses the main courtroom and another such leaded work of art is a skylight in the ceiling below the dome. "The stained glass in the building has been valued at over $1 million," said Harter.

The exterior of the courthouse features memorials dedicated to the veterans of Monroe County who have valiantly given their lives to preserve freedom in the many wars that have taken place over the last 197 years. A flagpole dedicated to the Civil War veterans stands to the left of the main entrance and on the southeast corner is a canon where four memorial plaques dedicated to the veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The Monroe County Courthouse is a grand building in the center of this quaint rural Appalachian community. It serves as a landmark for those traveling through Woodsfield, towering above the surrounding buildings and as a symbol of pride for the citizens who have levied it to be the center of their government.

Article by Mike Palmer.                         Palmer can be reached at mpalmer@timesleaderonline.com.

Times Leader Newspaper

Wheeling, WV

March 2010

Photo by R.E. Harrington, July 2012

Last modified 19 July 2012 by reh