Buchanan County, Missouri - Chapter 20: Court House, 1881

In the spring of 1846, tfie contract for building.a brick Court House was let for $6,000. The job was undertaken and completed by L. S. Stigers and W. J. Taylor, architects and builders.

This, a two-story building, was in extent, including portico, fifty by seventy-four feet, and contained nine rooms. Insignificant as such a structure now would appear in the city, in which it formerly stood, in that early day, it was, from its elevated position, a prominent land-mark in the landscape, as well as an architectural feature, of which the young city was in no small degree proud. The site of this building was that of the present Court House, though the prominent elevation which it occupied was, on its destruction in the spring of 1873, reduced some thirtyfive feet, to nearly the level of Jule street, on which it fronted, as does the present spacious and elegant structure to which it has given place. The old Court House on the hill served the purposes for which it was designed till October, 1871, a period of a quarter of a century from its completion, when the building being deemed unsafe, the courts and appendant offices moved out, to occupy till the erection of a new and suitable building, rooms on Fifth Street, near Felix, formerly used as a parsonage, and ante -rooms, of what had been the Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph. They all continued to occupy these premises till the summer of 1873, when the Circuit Court, Circuit Clerk's and Sheriff's offices were moved to Brady's Hall, on Felix Street, near the corner of Fourth.

It may not be improper to add that the site of that dilapidated, abandoned, old church and parsonage is now covered by some of the most substantial and elegant business blocks in' the city.

On the removal of the old building, the work of cutting down the hill upon which it had stood for twenty-five years, rapidly progressed, and on the 25th of August, 1873, the corner-stone of the present stately edifice was laid with appropriate ceremonies. This, the largest court house, as well as one of the finest appearing public buildings, in the state, was not completed till August, 1876. It was, however, in part occupied by the courts as early as the month of January of the same year, while the unfinished work continued to be pushed to completion.

The style of the building is less ornate than massive. The Corinthian porticoes of the three fronts, however, are admirably proportioned, and the graceful stone columns crowned with elaborate capitals, contrast finely with the otherwise plain and massive character of the building. These columns, of which there are four to each portico, cost one thousand two hundred dollars each.

The plan of the building is a Greek or equi-brachial cross. It has a frontage of 235 feet on Jule Street, with a depth of 205 feet ; it also fronts 235 feet on Fourth, and 235 feet on Fifth Streets. The roof is of slate and tin, and the guttering of copper. The basement story, which is twelve feet high in the clear, and extends under»the entire building, is of rubble masonry faced with ashlar ; the superstructure is of brick trimmed with cut stone. The first story, in which most of the public offices are located, is eighteen feet high in the clear ; and the second story, in which is the Circuit Court room, twenty-five feet. In point of convenience, as regards light, ventilation, and arrangement of rooms, it is unexcelled in any building. From the first floor to the lantern of the dome the height is one hundred and forty-five feet. The only apparent defect in the internal design of the building is in the arrangement of the double stairway, which is so constructed as to conceal, from the first floor, the view of the dome.

The stair-ways in the building are broad, and the means of egress in case of sudden emergency, ample, each of the cardinal points presenting large double doors. Water closets on the two principal floors, and all the appliances of modern convenience proper to first-class public buildings, are found here. There are forty-six spacious rooms on the two principal floors besides a corresponding number in the unfinished basement' story.

The dome, which surmounts the centre of the structure, is in classic harmony with the general appearance of the building, and renders the elevation a prominent land mark in the plain of the surrounding country.

Near the northeast corner of the Court House, and fronting on Fifth Street, is the substantial and not inelegant structure of the County Jail, completed in i860. It is coveniently arranged, located on a high and healthful spot of ground, and well adapted to the purposes for which it was erected.

The ceremony of laying the corner stone of this magnificent structure, was one of the most imposing ever witnessed in the West. The occasion was one of such peculiar interest to the people of St. Joseph,

"At 2 o'clock, the procession was formed on Fourth Street, with the right resting on Edmond, under the management of Capt. John A. Dolman, Chief Marshal. It was headed by Rosenblatt's brass band, whose excellent music pleased the ear of the thousands who were then thronging the sidewalks.

After this came the Knights of Pythias, including both Lomia and St. Joseph lodges, their brilliant uniforms glittering in the sunlight. The turn out of this order was unusually large, and Capt. B. F. Buzard acted as marshal, assisted by J. B. Hinman. After the Knights of Pythias, came the St. Joseph Fire Department, the " Young America's," leading the van. The Rescue Hook and Ladder Company came next ; then the Blue Bird, then the Blacksnake, and finally the new company.

Humboldt Lodge, I. O. O. F., came next, and was followed by carriages containing the officers of the Supreme, Circuit and County Courts, the county officers, the City Council and members of the press. After this came the officers of the Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. M. of the State of Missouri, Joseph S. Browne, Esq., acting as Worshipful Grand Master.

The streets were lined with thousands as the procession passed, and every one seemed to teel the deepest interest in the occasion. Even the bluffs adjoining the ground were lined with men, women and children, anxious to observe the commemoration of an event so important in the history of St. Joseph.

On reaching the grounds, the procession had swelled to an immense concourse of eager, expectant people. In the dense crowd, however, there was not the slightest disturbance, and everything passed off quietly and pleasantly. The ceremonies were begun by W. G. M., Joseph S. Browne, who, in a few well timed remarks, alluded to the presence of members of various orders, and bid them welcome to witness the inauguration of an enterprise in which every citizen of St-. Joseph was interested. At the conclusion of his remarks, a brief and impressive prayer was offered by Rev. John G. Fackler, acting Grand Chaplain, and then the work of depositing the various articles contributed commenced. The following is a list of the most important articles :

Constitution and by-laws of the following grand bodies of tne State of Missouri : Grand Commandry of Knights Templar, Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters, Grand Royal Arch Chapter, Grand Lodge I. O. O. F., Grand Lodge Knights of Pythias.

Also by-laws and regulations of the following secret societies : St. Joseph No. 22 and Lomia Lodge, Knights of Pythias ; Humboldt Lodge No. 130, and Eclipse No. 133, I. O. O. F. ; Zeredatha No. 189, and St. Joseph No. 78, A. F. and A. M. ; St. Joseph Royal Arch Chapter No. 14 ; Hugh de Payen's Commandery No. 4, K. T.

Late copies of the Daily^ and Weekly Gazette, Daily and Weekly Herald, Daily and Weekly Volksblatt, Daily and Weekly Commercial, Weekly Standard, a copy of the Missouri Gazette, Vol. I, No. 3, July 6, 1808, published at St. Louis ; architect's design of the couft house, the names of the officers of the Circuit Court, premium list of the St. Joseph Industrial Exposition, a copy of St. Joseph's trade and manufacturers list, a copy of the lithograph showing St. Joseph, the bridge, and railroal connections.

After this had been concluded, the principal architect presented the working tools to the Grand Master, who distributed them as follows : The square to the Deputy Grand Master ; the level to the Sr. Grand Warden, and the plumb to the Jr. Grand Warden. The usual questions in reference to the practical application of these instruments to architecture were properly answered, when the Grand Master said :

This corner-stone has been tested by the proper instruments of I find that the craftsmen have skillfully and faithfully performed their duty, and I do declare the stone to be well formed, true and trusty, and correctly laid according to the rules of our ancient craft. Let the elements of consecration now be presented.

Then came the old emblems of corn, wine and oil. The Deputy Grand Master advanced with his vessel of corn, scattering it on the stone and saying :

I scatter this corn as an emblem of plenty. May the blessings of bounteous heaven be showered upon us, and upon all like patriotic and benevolent undertakings, and inspire the hearts of the people with virtue, wisdom and gratitude.

I pour this wine as an emblem of joy and gladness. May the great Ruler of the universe bless and prosper our National, State and City Governments ; preserve the Union of the States, and may it be a bond of friendship and brotherly love that shall endure through all time.

I pour this oil as an emblem of peace. May its blessings abide upon us continually, and may the Grand Master of heaven and earth, shelter and protect the widow and orphans ; shield and protect them from the trials and vicissitudes of the world, and so bestow His mercy upon the bereaved, the afflicted and the sorrowing, that they may know sorrowing and trouble no more.

May the all-bounteous Author of Nature bless the people of this place with an abundance of the necessaries of life ; assist in the erection and completion of this building ; protect the workmen against every accident ; long preserve the structure from decay, and grant to us all a supply of the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment and the oil joy. Amen.

Men and brethren here assembled, be it known unto you that we be lawful Masons, true and faithful to the laws of our country, and engaged by solemn obligations to erect magnificent buildings, to be serviceable to the brethren, and to fear God, the great architect of the universe.

We have among us, concealed from the eyes of all men, secrets which cannot be divulged, and which have never been found out ; but these secrets are lawful and honorable, and not repugnant to the laws of God or man.

They were entrusted in peace and honor to the Free Masons of ancient times, and having been faithfully transmitted to us, it is our duty to convey them, unimpaired, to the latest posterity. Unless our craft were good, and our calling honorable, we should not have lasted for so many centuries, nor should we have been honored with the patronage of :so many illustrious men of all ages, who have ever shown themselves ready to promote our interests and defend us from all adversaries.

We are assembled here to-day in the face of you all to build a house, which we pray God may deserve to prosper, by becoming a place of concourse for good men, and promoting harmony and brotherly love throughout the world, till time shall be no more.

The following were the officers of the Grand Lodge participating in the ceremonies on that occasion: John A. Dolman, Grand Marshal; Henry C. Fox, Grand Tyler ; N. W. Sherman and Robert Hutton, Grand Stewards ; P. M. H. N. Montague, carrying the great lights, supported by W. G. Elliott and J. W. O'Neill, as Grand Stewards; A. B. Frazer, Grand Secretary ; Hugh Trevor, Grand Treasurer ; Daniel O'Toole, Grand Junior Warden ; J. A. Raynor, Grand Senior Warden ; Rt. Wor- shipful D. G. M., Samuel Russell ; George Buell, Past Master, carrying book of constitutions ; Solomon Broyles, Grand Pursuivant ; Rev. John G. Fackler, Grand Chaplain ; Most Worshipful Grand Master, Joseph S. Browne, supported by N. H. Wilmott and C. A. Cunningham, as Grand Deacons ; Grand Sword Bearer, C. M. Kingsbury.

One of the most interesting features of the occasion was the address of Colonel John Doniphan, which we here give because of the references therein made to the early history and settlement of Louisiana, Missouri, the Platte Purchase and Buchanan County :

Ladies and Gentlemen : We welcome you, on this day, so auspicious for the future of our county and city. The majestic proportions and symmetrical design of the temple of justice we are met to inaugurate, demonstrate that our honorable County Court, as well as the public sentiment of our people, are in earnest accord with the progress of the age and the advance of our enlightened civilization. Standing in a city of thirty thousand inhabitants, just thirty years since the first sale of lots in St. Joseph, centrally located between the great lakes and the Gulf of Mexico ; in the midst of the great Mississippi Valley ; midway between the Alleghenies and the Rockies, and upon the fortieth degree of north latitude, along which the great problems of civilization have been solved, we may properly indulge in retrospect and prophecy.

A century since, the vast area, from the Blue Ridge to the Pacific, had scarcely been marked by the foot of the white man. The painted savage and the shaggy bison were the lords of the soil, now teeming with millions of prosperous, happy, and progressive citizens, bearing the scales of justice and the cross of Christianity.

The result of the war of the revolution was the independence of the confederated states of America, extending from the Atlantic west to the Mississippi River. By treaty, made by Mr. Jefferson, in 1803, with the great Napoleon, then First Consul, France ceded us Louisiana, extending westwardly to the Sabine River and northwardly to the Arkansas and its sources, to the forty-second parallel, then west to the Pacific Pcean, and north with its shores to Vancouver, including the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oregon, besides the vast territories of Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. By the annexation of Texas, in 1845, that large and magnificent state with her 237,000 square miles, was added to our -ejctended possessions, and in the war of 1846, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and California were conquered from our sister Republic of Mexico.

While the extension of our territory has been so grand and vast, the increase of our population has been more marvelous still. Three millions in 1774, it is now over forty. We were then a few feeble colonies, struggling for recognition ; we are now a mighty empire, able to combat any other nation ; our navies are known and respected in all the ports of. the world, invulnerable to human missiles and bowing alone to the behests of the almighty ruler of the universe ; capable of raising an army -of volunteers in thirty days, thrice as large as the contending hosts settled the fate of Europe in the battle of Sedan, and yet they are not the supports and shadows of a throne, but the pillars of democracy ; not a standing army, but the citizen soldiery of a republic.

The increase of wealth, population and power have been exceeded in the departments of science and economy; the adaptation of steam to the industries of life has increased the producing power more than twenty to one. Education is as free as the flag which so proudly waves its azure set stars and broad stripes of universal freedom over us to-day.

But the great revolution of mind and thought which has evolved out of the past century ; the birth of religious freedom in faith and worship, is the grand climacteric of which statesmen and philosophers, savans and bishops ought to be proud.

The freedom of conscience and worship places America on a higher plane of civilization than any nation that has ever existed in the records ' of history. In all the conquests of the century, the laws have kept pace and added much to the success of our civilization. A democratic or republican government is one founded upon a stated constitution and settled laws, as distinguished from an absolute government, where the will of the ruler constitutes the canons of the law, or even where written constitutions are interpreted to suit the will of the monarch.

In our government, the laws emanate from the people in their sovereign capacity, and are generally executed and interpreted by wise and good men, and so long as the laws are made by good people as sovereigns, and administered by pure, just and prudent men, the future is assured. The ancient Grecians raised temples in honor of Themis, the Goddess of Justice, and adorned her as the source of law and the embodiment of truth.

We propose erecting here a temple, where the scales of justice vi'll ever be evenly held, and where the oracles of truth will be guarded with vestal fidelity. We want the law as a science and study, to be in the future as the past - in the front ranks of the learned professions, and her practitioners the acknowledged leaders of liberal views and sound morality, and bringing to the administration of equity a code of ethics and morals beautiful and grand in its comprehensive whole, vast yet sj^*- metrical in its ramified details, adorned by the genius and polished' by the wisdom of twenty centuries. This building, to be constructed^ by our honorable County Court, promises to be such a temple and such a shrine, standing in the future as a monument to their wisdom and enterprise, and esteemed by all as worthy of the growing city it will adorn, and may it long stand as a bright landmark in the pathway of progress, and when the hands which reared it are mouldered into dust, and the tongues which to-day shout its triumphs are silent in the grave, may it still be known as an altar where justice is tempered with mercy and where passion shall never blind judgment or the scales be made to balance by the alloy of gold, but where the fountain and stream shall alike ever be pure.

When Missouri was admitted into the Union in 1820, the six counties of Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Atchison, and Nodaway, and 'known then as the Platte country, were a part of the territory, until added to the State by an act of Congress passed in 1837. It was occupied by. the Pottawattamie Indians, and what is now known as Agency, in this county, was the issue house for their annuities. By treaty with the Indians in 1837, this country was ceded to the State of Missouri, and many moved into it, that summer, in anticipation of the early passage of the preemption act. As soon as the passage of the act of Congress was brought west by the slow process of that day, many flocked from the border counties in Missouri, and from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, and other states to this new land of promise, the Pottawattamies were removed to Council Bluffs and to the Kansas River, near the present City of Lecompton, and the tide of immigration entered this rich region. Several of those old pioneers are with us yet. Amongst the first to cast their tents here were Captain James B. O'Toole, Judge Tom Brown, Edwin Toole, William Fowler, Dr. McDonald and many others. Grounds, were plowed and crops tended in 1838, and by fall the county was pretty well dotted over with pre-emption claims and patches of broken prairie. That fall the Legislature established Platte into a county, and attached the district of Buchanan to Clinton County for voting purposes, and established County and Circuit Courts, which were held at Robidoux's store, and in accordance with that act the first court was held in the old log house, occupied as a store room by Joseph Robidoux, standing on the present site of the Occidental Hotel, in the present limits of St. Joseph. The first court was held here on the iSth day of July, 1839,'by Hon. Austin A. King, afterwards Governor of the state ; P. H. Burnett, Circuit Attorney, since Governor of California, and now an eminent banker in San Francisco. The first Clerk was our old and respected friend, Edwin Toole, (may his shadow never grow less.) The only resident attorney was General Andrew Hughes, who kept his office and library (which last consisted of the Missouri Statutes of 1835 and Pirtle's Digest) in the back room -of Robidoux' store. Of all the settlers of Buchanan County, none are more worthy of remembrance than General Hughes. With a polished manner, liberal education and bright talent, he combined caustic wit and a heart gentle as a woman. His fame will live with a bright radiance in the memories of all that ever heard him at the forum.

The attorneys at that court, were Wm. T. Wood, who is now an honored citizen of Lafayette County ; General A. W. Doniphan, whose achievements with the Missouri troops, during the Mexican War, read like the weird stories of Arabic fiction, and who still resides in Ray County, Missouri; General Wm. B. Almond, afterwards Judge of the District Court, in California in 1849, ^^^ Judge of this Circuit in 1851. Almond was a man of prolific genius and untiring energy. Launched into the battle of life as a poor boy, in Virginia, he soon found himself, with the American Fur Company, at the mouth of the Yellowstone, and was back in a few years to settle the Platte Purchase. He left for the Pacific Coast on the first news of the gold discovery, and returned two or three times, and finally passed to the shadowy land in trying to civilize the border ruffians of Kansas. Besides these, there were at the first court, Amos Rees, now of Leavenworth ; John Wilson, of Platte County, and Theodore Wheaton, of New Mexico, all now full of years, and honored as worthy representatives of their day, and to whom much is due for shaping and controlling the turbulent elements in which all new countries abound . ,

The first sheriff was S. M. Gilmore. The first suit was Andrew S. Hughes vs. Ishmael Davis, for debt. The first indictment w^s against Theophilus Magruder, for the crime of " betting at a game of chance," with a pack of playing cards, for which, after several continuances, he was, in July, '1840, fined one dollar and costs. Such amusements have increased since that period, as other amusements and luxuries of Ufe. The first grand jury were : Reuben R. Reynolds, John Henry, Wm. Bledsoe, Elijah Martin, Abel Evans, George S. Nelson, Ezekiel W. Smith, Job McNemara, Daniel Terrel, Hugh Copeland, Hiram Rogers, Jesse R. Barnnett, Ezra Rose, Lloyd Beall, Hugh Glenn, John Martin and James Curl. The second court was held at Robidoux' store, on November i8, 1839, and the roll of attorneys was increased by the admission of Wm. » M. Paxton (now a prominent lawyer of Platte County), S. L. Leonard, afterwards a judge of this circuit, and John Platte, whose history! am unable to give. The first declaration of citizenship was made at this term by Godfrey Rental, and the first divorce petition considered was the case of Mary Johns vs. Benjamin Johns. The third term of the Circuit Court was held at St. Joseph, on the i6th March, 1840.

The fist term of the County Court was held at the house of Richard Hill, on the first day of April, 1839. Present, William Harrington and Samuel Johnson, County Court justices.

The first order appointed William Fowler, County Clerk ; the second order appointed Samuel Johnson, President of said court ; the third granted a license to Edward Dodge, for six months, to vend groceries at any point in the county.

The following townships were established and bounded by an order -of the court : Platte, Marion, Lewis, Jefferson, Bloomington, Crawford and Noble. At the same term, Wm. W. Reynolds was appointed County Assessor. *

On the 2nd day of April, 1839, it was ordered by the County Court that the Circuit and County Courts of Buchanan County should thereafter be "held at the house of Joseph Robidoux, at the Snake Hills, until otherwise ordered." The second term of the County Court was held at the house of Joseph Robidoux, on the 6th day of May, 1839. At this term a license was granted to Julius C. Robidoux to keep a ferry at Robidoux' landing, on the Missouri River.

At the September term, 1839, Wm. Curl was added as a county justice. At the April term, 1840, P. P. Fulkerson, Armstrong McClintock and Leonard Brassfield, commissioners appointed by an act approved December 31, 1838, were required to select a permanent county seat. The commissioners appointed by the Legislature having selected a quarter section of United States land at Sparta, for county purposes, the seat of justice was removed there by an order of the County Court, and the first term of the Circuit Court convened at Richard Hill's cabin (near a big spring) about seven miles south of here, on the 20th day of July, 1840, with Hon. David R. Atchison as Judge, P. H. Burnett, Circuit Attorney, where the court remained until 1846, when it was removed to St. Joseph.

About this time (1839), and within a year or two, there settled in St. Joseph many of those merchants whose genius and prudence have made her the second city in the state. Among these were Powell & Levy, Smith & Donnell, ,Jolin Curd, the Tootles, Joseph Hull, John Corby and Saxton and others that I have not been able to get, in connection with the other facts, in the two days time I have had to look them up.

Within a short time after the removal of the county seat to Sparta, there came to this county a number of young lawyers, who, like the fabled Argonauts, were destined to arise to eminence in the profession and honored position in the history of the state. They were General B. F. Loan, Governor R. M. Stewart, General James B. Gardenhire, Governor Willard P. Hall, Judge Henry M. Vories and General J. M. Bassett. Most of them lived a longer or shorter time at old Sparta, where, after three years of effort, a log court house, costing three hundred dollars, was built. Its present site is as deserted as the prophetic state of Tyre is represented to be, and, like its compeers of Bonntown and Jimtown, it has yielded to the inevitable.

Judge Atchison retired from the bench in March, 1844, to fill worthily a seat in the United States Senate, where he was President of the Senate, and by virtue of that office, on General Taylor's death, he was Vice President two years. Judge Atchison was succeeded in March, 1844, by Judge Henson Young, an able and just man, who gave place in September, 184S, to Solomon L. Leonard, a hard student, an able man and incorruptible judge. In November, 1850, W. B. Almond succeeded Judge Leonard by an election. In 185 1, E. H. Norton, afterwards a representative in Congress from this district, was elected and held the position until 1859, when Silas Woodson, our present brilliant Governor, was elected, who was succeeded by Colonel William Herren, in January, 1864, now an honored citizen of Andrew County, and in 1868, I. C. Parker, our present Congressman, was elected and resigned in 1870, and was succeeded by Judge Bennett Pike, a worthy attorney of this city, who honored the ermine until last November, when our present esteemed officer, Joseph P. Grubb, was elected.

I regret that time forbids me to throw incense over the names ot Scott, Wilson, Jones, Bela Hughes, Lawrence Archer, Tom Thoroughman, Alexander Davis, Alexander Terrell, George Baxter, John Boyd, W. A. Cunningham, Colonel Davis, Sidney Tennant, L. M. Lawson and others, who are either in the shadowy land, or else far removed from the scenes of their youthful defeats and triumphs.

We are honored to-day by the presence of the members of the highest tribunal in the state, in the persons of Judges Wagner, Adams, Sherwood, Napton and Vories ; men who have won their present high positions by long years of toil at the bar ; men alike honored by the profession and an honor to it.

To our present County Court, consisting of Judges Smith, Taylor, Fitzgerald, Sutherland and Wade, we are indebted for the elegant , quarters to be soon furnished to our courts and officers of justice, let their names be remembered as deserving well of their country.

From the progress we have made in thirty-five years, and the evidences of permanency around us, with such an active and enterprising population, we may be permitted to anticipate a magnificent future for our county and city. This building will doubtless stand to serve as a seat of justice for a quarter of a million of population ; churches, colleges and palaces, will be scattered over miles of the adjacent country, our court house and iron bridge still standing as monuments of the giant energy of the men of 1873.