Jersey County, Illinois - Chapter 15: County Institutions, 1919

First Courthouse

Edward Daley, one of the proprietors of Jersey ville, was a represen¬ tative from this county in the Eleventh General Assembly of the State Legislature, 1839-40, and he was very active in promoting the Act of Organization of the new County of Jersey, and in having the county seat located at Jerseyville. In order to secure both of these objects, it was necessary to give pledges that the Public Square should be donated to the new county for public building sites, and that the citizens of Jersey¬ ville would build a courthouse and jail upon the "Square," that would be acceptable to the county commissioners, and free of expense to the county.

On January 4, 1840, a committee was appointed by subscribers to the courthouse building fund,1 composed of the following: Elijah Van Horne, chairman ; and Thomas L McGill and Solomon Calhoun, of which Thomas L. McGill was made secretary. The committee employed Peyton C. Walker to propose plans and specifications for the courthouse, which were to be presented to the county commissioners for their approval.

On January 11, 1840, the committee met and received plans for the courthouse from P. C. Walker for presentation to the county commis¬ sioners for their approval.

On January 18, 1840, the committee again met and proceeded to examine subscriptions and ascertain whether funds subscribed were sufficient to justify them in proceeding further. As a result of their

On April 18, 1840, at a meeting of the subscribers to the courthouse fund, the committee were instructed to make a new plan and curtail the building, so as to proceed with the money already subscribed.

On May 9, 1840, at a meeting of the committee, Mr. Goodrich motioned and it was ordered that the committee make plans and specifications for a courthouse, and that they secure proposals for the erection of a court¬ house the present year, and it was ordered that an advertisement for proposals be published in the "Backwoodsman."

The above statement is taken from a report of the building committee to the county commissioners, of date of March 18, 1843. No record can be found as to how this deficit was finally cared for. However, the county commissioners had accepted it and commenced to occupy the courthouse in the spring of 1841. It was improved by the construction of an addition on the north, of which the first floor was used as a jail, and the second floor as a jury room. A front was also built on the south side, with a stairway to the courtroom, on the second floor.

Destructive Fire

In 1862-63, fireproof offices were erected southeast of and separate from the courthouse, which were occupied by the circuit and county clerks until the present courthouse was completed. On Sunday morn¬ ing, January 6, 1884, the first courthouse was burned by reason of a defective flue. It was one of the coldest nights of the winter, and it was supposed that on account of the intense heat engendered by the extra firing of the stoves, sparks escaped from the flue and ignited the wooden lining of the jail, upon which the inner iron lining of the jail was fastened. By reason of the delay in securing entrance, the jailor having gone to his home one-half a mile distant, four persons in the jail were smothered to death before relief could reach them, although every effort was made to rescue them by Charles Keith, James Powell, William Hibble, Joel E. Cory, and Moses Cockrell, at great hazard to themselves. The prisoners who perished were Walter Dunsden, charged with murder ; Emile Koehler, charged with horse stealing ; August Schultz and James Griggs, who were charged with larceny.

Second Courthouse

After the first courthouse was destroyed by fire on January 6, 1884, a one-story frame building was erected on the east side of the Public Square, at a cost of about $900.00, which was ready for the March term of the circuit court, and in it the courts were held for ten years thereafter. This building was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church in the fall of 1894, and has been since that time used as a chapel in connection with the religious work of that denomination. There being no jail in this county, the prisoners were kept in the jail at Carrollton, Greene County, until the present jail and sheriff's residence were built in 1885.

Third Courthouse

vote $40,000.00 in bonds for the jmrpose of erecting- a courthouse. The proposition was carried by a vote of 1,366 for, to 977 against, giving a majority of 389 for the bonds. At the meeting of the board of super¬ visors in March, 1893, on motion of L. T. English, of English Town¬ ship, a resolution was adopted for issuing $40,000.00 bonds, bearing not exceeding five per cent interest, to erect said building, and on motion of C. P. Stafford of Quarry Township, the roll was called on the said resolution, and every member of the board was recorded as voting "aye/' to-wit : P. I). Cheney, chairman; F. J. Mains, J. Stirratt, James R. Bell, L. T. English; R. R. Ward, William Goshorn, William L. Ruyle, C. P. Stafford, F. Knapp, J. TI. McDow, and.L. H. Yanderslice.

At the same meeting, the following men were appointed as members of the building committee: P. D. Cheney, James Stirratt, William Goshorn, C.' P. Stafford and Joseph Knight.

On June 6, 1893, at a meeting of the county board, a resolution was drawn by R. R. Ward that all citizens of this county, and the county board, and the county officers of Greene County be invited to be present at the laying of the cornerstone of the new courthouse on July 4, 1893.

Laying Op The Cornerstone

The cornerstone of the new courthouse was laid July 4, 1893, by M? W. G. L.', Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of the state of Illinois, according to the ritual of that organization, most worshipful Grand Master G. M. Crawford; Doctor Grimes, of Pittsfield, Ill., Grand Senior Warden; J. W. Prindle, Grand Junior Warden; Jesse K. Cadwallader, G. M. ; Joseph G. Marston, G. S. ; R. S. Beaty, G. T. ; and W. AY. Estabrook, G. C.

Prentiss D. Cheney, chairman of the county board, had general charge of the ceremonies during the proceedings. At two o'clock, P. M., the programme commenced with music by the city band, followed by invocation by Rev. Ira C. Tyson. The Declaration of Independence was then read by Miss Fannie Bowman, and after Joseph G. Marston. Grand Secretary, had read the list of the articles placed in the box, the cornerstone was duly put in place. Then followed a song by J. AY. Snyder, A. W. Newton, Augustus Embly, Alexander C. Robb, L. E.

Brown, H. A. Tunehorst, and Joseph McReynolds. Addresses were made by Hon. A. A. Goodrich, of Chicago; Balfour Cowan, of Virden, Macoupin County; James McMillan, of Morgan County; L. J. Patterson and Judge Thomas Henshaw of Greene County. The ceremonies closed with the singing of America by the audience.

There was a very large crowd of people in attendance, notwithstand¬ ing the heavy rain which commenced to fall about eleven o'clock, and continuing for more than an hour.

The names of the members of the county board inscribed on the cornerstone are as follows: Prentiss D. Cheney, chairman; William H. Bartlett, Piasa Township ; W. L. Ruyle, Ruyle Township ; Robert L. Smith, Elsah Township ; Joseph Knight, Mississippi Township ; Christo¬ pher P. Stafford, Quarry Township; F. J. Mains, Jersey Township; James Stirratt, Fidelity Township ; James R. Bell, Otter Creek Town¬ ship ; Lloyd T. English, English Township; Robert R. Ward, Rosedale Township; and William Goshorn, Richwoods Township. Also inscribed on the cornerstone are the names of Henry Elliott, architect, and F. W. Menke, contractor.

The county officials present at the laying of the cornerstone were as follows : Allen M. Slaten, county judge ; Cosmos Keller, sheriff ; Daniel J. Murphy, county clerk; Ludovic Laurent, circuit clerk; John A. Shep¬ hard, treasurer; Harrison W. Pogue, state's attorney; Dr. J. A. Flautt, coroner; Richard Kiely, county superintendent of schools; Albert W. Newton, county surveyor ; J. M. Page, master-in-chaneery.

The city officials present were: Henry A. Shephard, mayor; Joseph O'Laughlin, clerk; John Powell, marshal; Joseph S. Carr, attorney; Arch. F. Ely, treasurer; and aldermen, H. B. Hill, J. C. Ross, F. J. Bertman, Henry Nevius, Fred Jacob, S. PI. Bowman, and George Ely.

Completion Of Courthouse

The building was completed in the summer of 1894. The building . committee accepted the new courthouse from the hands of Mr. Menke, contractor, May 18, 1894, and they made their report to the board of supervisors June 5, 1894. The amount paid the contractor was $40,- 411.85. The building is constructed of Grafton stone, the trimmings of Bedford stone. It is two stories and a basement in height, with a large porch in front. On a level with the first floor, the corridor ex¬ tends north and south through its center, and two large stairways lead to the second floor. On the east side of the corridor on the first floor are the county treasurer and county clerk's offices and the county judge's room. On the west side of the corridor are the sheriff 's office, the circuit clerk's office, and the county courtroom. On the second floor in front of the rotunda are two rooms, one occupied by the superintendent of schools, and the other by the county road engineer. On the west side is the grand jury room and the circuit judge's room ; on the east side are the petit jury rooms, and on the north, the circuit courtroom of elab¬ orate finish, and all of the rooms are well furnished.

In the basement there is a corridor extending north and south through the building, on the east side of which is the ladies' restroom, fur¬ nished with easy chairs, bed, lounge, tables and closets, for the con¬ venience of ladies and their children during their visits to the central part of the city. On the north of the restroom, in the northeast coruer of the basement, the county board very kindly finished a room and donated the use of it to the Jersey County Historical Society. On the wTest side of the basement is one room used for general election purposes, and the other room is used for the men's toilet. There are also toilets in connection with the jury rooms on the second floor. Two large fire¬ proof vaults extending from the basement to the top of the first floor, are connected with the offices of the county and circuit clerks on the first floor, and with the Historical Society in the basement. The build¬ ing is heated by steam from the furnace in the basement of the jail and sheriff's residence, which are also heated by steam. Electric lights are used throughout the courthouse and jail building.

The extreme length of the courthouse building is ninety feet; its width is seventy-one feet, and its height to the top of the statue on the dome is 1241^ feet. The courthouse is a beautiful, modern, impos¬ ing structure, and a credit to the citizens of the county who voted the bonds to construct it, and to the county board and the architect and contractor who erected it. The bonds which were issued in payment for the building of the courthouse were issued in separate $1,000.00 bonds, payable at the option of the county board. They were called in and liquidated in sums of $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 a year, and in a very short period were all extinguished, and the people of the county hardly realized the burden of the erection of the courthouse.

First Term Of Circuit Court Final Summary

It may be truthfully said, that, taking into consideration the popu¬ lation and business of this county, it would be difficult to construct a building better adapted to the wants and necessities and conditions of its people than our present courthouse. Situated on a beautiful lawn, in the center of the Public Square, in the city of Jersey ville, it is a pleasure and a delight to all our citizens, and an object of interest to visitors to our city and county.

First Jail

The first jail for the confinement of persons charged with crime, wTas in the original courthouse. There were some changes in the loca¬ tion, made by the building of an addition to the courthouse, but this jail was burned in January, 1884, when the courthouse was consumed by fire, and four prisoners, as above mentioned, were suffocated. During the interim, between the burning of the courthouse and jail at that time, and the erection of a new jail, in 1885, prisoners were sent to Carrollton, Greene County, to be cared for.

Present Jail

In 1885 the present jail and sheriff's residence were erected at a cost of about $15,000.00. Propositions for the expenditure of that amount for the purpose of erecting a sheriff's residence and jail had been submitted to the voters of Jersey County at the November elec¬ tion, 1884, and had been carried by a majority of the voters.

William Bailey was employed to submit plans and specifications for the construction of the new jail building, and a tax of thirty-five cents on the $100.00 was levied to provide a fund for its erection. The con¬ tract for doing the foundation work was let to William H. Dowdall and George H. Sturdevant for $870.00. The contract for the superstructure and woodwork for building proper, complete, was let to Henry C. Leak, for $7,445.00. The steel-clad cells, corridors and other ironwork was let to P. G. Pauley and Bro., St. Louis, Mo., to be put in place for $6,800.00.

handsome appearance. The part of the building occupied by> the sheriff as a residence is 30x40 feet ground area. The jail proper, in the rear of the building, is 38x48 feet in size. The latter contains two tiers of steel cells, four on each floor, with corridors, and has spacious and comfortable cells, each 6y2 by 8 feet in size, and well ventilated. Since the repairs and changes have been made during 1918, the jail is regarded as being absolutely secure from breakage by its inmates, > and the whole building is very well adapted to the uses for which it was con¬ structed. Had it been erected in some location off of the Public Square, it would have been equally well suited for its purposes, and as con¬ venient for the people of the county, and would have relieved the Square of the presence on it of a building that mars the beauty of that location because of its associations.

At a special session of the county commissioners' court, held1 on Monday, October 13, 1845, the following record was placed on the records :

"Ordered, that Samuel R. Perry of the county of Greene and State of Illinois, and he is hereby ordered to collect the sum of $900.00 in full payment of a certain farm, situated in the County of Jersey, State of Illinois, containing 160 acres, being the same tract of land heretofore owned by Thomas Arance, conveyed by said Vance to said Samuel R. Perry, and which said farm the Court has this day purchased for the purpose of establishing a poorhouse thereon, and it is further ordered that the clerk deliver to the said Samuel R. Perry aforesaid the sum of $900.00 in Jersey County orders upon receiving the conveyance of said premises. "

In December of the same year the county commissioners established the county poorhouse on this farm, located five or six miles northeast of Jerseyville, on which was a house all ready for occupancy, and it was used for the purpose intended.

Second Poorhouse

Later that first farm was sold and a farm of twenty acres adjoining Jerseyville on the east, was purchased of Richard Graham. It, too, had a house on it. This house was used to shelter the poor of Jersey County for several years, when another change was made.

Third Poorhouse

During the administration of 0. P. Powell, William IT. Allen and Phineas Eldridge, in 1868-69, the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 16, of township 8, range 12, English Township, con¬ sisting of 160 acres, was purchased, and a large brick building erected thereon for a poorhouse for the care of the paupers of this county, with the necessary outbuildings, and a large orchard. This location is about six miles northwest of Jerseyville in English Township. On November 19, 1887, this poorhouse was burned. A temporary struc¬ ture, 18x60 feet, tvro stories high, was erected immediately to care temporarily for the paupers.

Present Poorhouse

On July 9, 1888, a contract was entered into with Robert H. Clark, for $2,700.00 to erect the present poorhouse from materials furnished by the county. The county collected $5,000.00 insurance for the loss of the old building, which was sufficient, with the material on hand, to construct the present building. Charles C. Campbell was the overseer of the poorhouse at the time it was burned. The inmates were all rescued, no lives being lost in the fire.

The old plan of operating the poorhouse was for the county board to furnish the farm and everything necessary and employ a superin¬ tendent to operate it, making an allowance to him for boarding the pau¬ pers. This has been changed of recent years, and now it is under the superintendence of a committee appointed by the board of supervisors, they to employ a 'superintendent and his wife to care for the inmates at a fixed annual salary, the proceeds of the farm being paid over to the county board. This plan has been so successful during the past three or four years that the income from the farm has more than paid all the expenses of feeding and clothing the inmates of the home, and paying the salaries of the overseers.

During this time, the inmates that have occupied the home have been no burden on the taxpayers of the county, a fact greatly to the credit of the committee and their management, and to the board of supervisors which appointed them.