Liverpudlians can be proud of court house

He considered the Baptist Chapel and the new Congregational church at Milton amongst the neatest specimens of architecture in British America: and awarded the need of praise due to the gentlemen in whose skill and talent they originated. He also expressed his surprise that such a degree of apathy and carelessness should be manifested in relation to the Liverpool courthouse.

In order that some steps should be taken in this matter, he advised the sheriff to call a public meeting to obtain the views of the people at large on a question in which they should be deeply interested, as the best means to arouse the inhabitants of the county to immediate action. Acting under this advice of the judge, the sheriff sent out the following notice to every district of the county:

PUBLIC NOTICE - a Public Meeting will be held in the Court House, Liverpool, on Monday, the 9th of January next at 2 o'clock P.M., FOR THE PURPOSE OF TAKING STEPS TO ERECT A New Court House, as may be decided upon. When persons paying County rates, and those interested in the erection of the same, are requested to attend, as measures will then be decided upon.

John W. Scott, Sheriff

Sheriff's Office, Liverpool, Dec 27th, 1853

The Sheriff was called to the chair and opened the meeting. After a few opening remarks, the meeting was addressed by Caleb Seely, Esq., George McLeod, Esq, William Stearns, Esq., Captain Ed. McLeod, and other gentlemen. Mr. John Carten then moved "that the meeting proceed to nominate delegates from the different districts of the County, to meet and confer with those to be appointed in the Town, on the subject."

Mr. Allen Kempton moved an amendment — "That the meeting first go into committee and proceed to the settlement of the question relative to the site for the building." Objection to this amendment by Mr. Stearns, but it was strongly supported by a few able remarks from Jas. Barss, Esq. A discussion ensued, when both the amendment and the original motion were withdrawn.

A bit of history — Since the founding of the Liverpool Township in 1759 and the subsequent creation of Queens County in 1765, the delivery of justice from the bench has been a perambulatory affair. Most frequently their Lordships found themselves holding court in Mrs. West's Tavern at what is now 547 Main Street. In 1790, Perkins and the magistrates who effectively were the 'local government' determined to build a proper facility, and a courthouse was constructed on the corner of Main and Brunswick streets. As is too often the case with public structures, the building was allowed to deteriorate to the point, that by the 1850s, the judiciary was openly complaining that the community had to take action and build a new courthouse. In large measure, indecision was the consequence of a turf war between the two branches of what then constituted local government, the Justices who were determined a new facility must be built proximate to the old Court House, and the Grand Jury, which was equally determined a new facility must be built proximate to the old Court House, and the Grand Jury which was equally determined on a new site nearer to the commercial core of Liverpool. The public interest, it seems, was secondary to local political pressures.

In October 1853, the Liverpool Transcript reported that Mr. Justice Haliburton "administered a severe, and in some respects merited reprimand on the people of the County for their apparent neglect" in providing court facilities. He contrasted the courthouse situation with other public buildings in the community and "in the failure to provide decent court facilities." He expressed his surprise that such a degree of apathy and carelessness should be manifested in relation to the Court House. He consequently ordered Sheriff John W. Scott to convene a public meeting to expedite construction.

Scott convened the meeting at the Court House on January 2, 1854. It was first moved by John Carten that there be a nomination process to establish "delegations in the different districts of the County, to meet and confer with those to be appointed in the Town, on the subject. Immediately, an amendment was offered by Allen Kempton on the subject. After protracted debate, the original motion and a new motion passed all but unanimously. It was "that the new Court House be erected on public land, adjacent to the site of the old one." This obviously pleased the judges; however, the other shoe was about to drop.

January was also the time appointed for the annual deliberations of the Grand Jury. That arm of the local government quickly moved to thwart the decision of the public meeting and the expressed opinion of the Justices. They quickly accepted a gift of land from George Boehner, which was near the Temperance Hall on Church Street. One member offered a gift of 50 pounds to the Justices if they would agree to the site. Agreement was denied, so the Grand Jury approved 400 pounds for a "plain, good and substantial Court House on the Boehner site.'' Was it a coincidence the site just happened to be adjacent to Boehner's family home at 157 Church Street, which is currently owned by Garnet and Janet Winchester?

The building was designed by William G. Hammond and constructed by — you guessed it — George Boehner.

More to follow next week…