Historic Monroe County Courthouse
In 2005 the Monroe
County Board of Supervisors, mindful of the need for restoration
of our historic courthouse, hired Belinda Stewart Architects,
P.A. of Eupora, Mississippi, which specializes in renovation and
restoration of historic structures in Mississippi.
The firm set about conducting a thorough study and
inspection of the facility, which resulted
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several months later
in a proposal that all windows, doors and shutters be restored
to historically correct, well maintained working condition.
Paint, rust and foreign objects were to be removed while taking
care not to damage or remove original elements. Repainting was
to be done, incorporated historically accurate color palettes.
Such "modern" amenities as window air conditioners were to be
removed, and masonry surfaces repaired and restored to original
condition. Cracks and holes in the concrete structure were to be
repaired, fungus and mildew removed from walls, and water damage
repaired. Also included was a new, historically appropriate
roof, and flashings, along with restoration of the cupola.
An application for a Mississippi Community Heritage Preservation Grant
indicated that the
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project would include restoration of the
historic courtroom including removal of non-original partitions,
materials, finished and equipment, and establishment of the
original courtroom layout with original materials where they
remain and replicated materials where required."
Most noticeable to the casual observer is the restoration of the second
floor courtroom, judges' chambers, and grand jury area and,
finally, renovation of the acoustics in the courtroom, in order
to provide good speech communication among participants located
within the courtroom arena. Acoustics experts were engaged to
determine appropriate measures to be taken regarding acoustics.
Following the architect's recommendations, the Board of Supervisors
applied for a $500,000 state grant, to be matched by $150,000
matching funds provided by the county for a total project cost
of $650,000.
| HISTORY |
The Monroe County
Courthouse was constructed in 1857 and 1858 by
Contractor Thomas J. Davidson, and is one of the few
remaining anatebellum courthouses in
Mississippi. It is
a two-story rectangular structure constructed of
load-bearing brick masron walls and wood/timber framing,
with a clock tower/cupola located in the center of the
roof structure.
Much has been written about the "courthouse war" which raged between the
people on the west side of the Tombigbee River and those
on the east side - that is, between Athens and Aberdeen
as the place for the seat of county business. This
struggle began as soon as Aberdeen was planned -
probably as soon as the 1832 Treaty of Pontotoc with the
Chickasaw Indians o
pened up the land west of the river
for settlement. It lasts until the present courthouse
was built. Previous county seats were Hamilton, 1821;
Athens, 1840; Cotton Gin Port, 1841; Aberdeen, 1842;
Athens, 1847 and Aberdeen, 1858.
The laying of the cornerstone for the courthouse was held on July 9, 1857
when, at about 9:00 a.m., "the Monroe Riflemen formed in
front of the Comme
rcial Hotel and were soon joined by a
large procession of Masons, marshalled by M.H. Dobbs.
The procession, headed by the Aberdeen Brass Band,
proceeded to the new courthouse building where a large
concourse of people had already assembled. The exercises
were opened by prayer, after which Columbus Sykes, Esq.
in behalf of the Masonic Order, proceeded to lay the
corner stone of the new courthouse. Many memorials of
the day and time were deposited in the cornerstone after
those ceremonies."
The courthouse restoration project was completed in the summer of 2009
and accepted by the Monroe County Board of Supervisors
on February 12, 2010.
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