Monroe County Courthouse

Monroe County Courthouse. . , The first time court was held in Monroe County it was convened in a log house at Clark’s Point, Judge Charles Mason presiding. There was no floor in the house and during the session the judge, the lawyers and the court officials slept on the ground. There being no barn, the horses were tied out under the trees. One night a severe storm arose, the horses were brought into the court room and stabled until morning. This incident gave rise to the story that the first Court was held in a barn. , Monroe County’s first courthouse was built in 1846. It was located on the east side of the square near the alley and was a log structure 20 feet square and 14 feet in height. The building was constructed at a cost of $75. An additional sum of money was appropriated for chinking and for 50 light of glass and a loft. , In 1858 a new courthouse building was constructed on the present site at a total cost of $11,350. The building was made of local brick. , In 1910, the ravages of time and the growth of the county led to voters approving a $75,000 bond issue to construct the present courthouse. That sum was later raised to $100,000. The cornerstone was laid August 29, 1902. , The three story building was constructed using Cleveland stone known as “Grey Canyon.” Tennessee marble was used throughout the interior. , A Seth Thomas tower clock was purchased and installed in the courthouse tower at a cost of $740. The clock was later electrified and is still in use. , A 1,000 pound pure metal bell composed of New Lake Superior copper (78 parts) and East India black tin (22 parts) was also purchased from Seth Thomas at a cost of $300. The bell was removed from the clock tower in 1970 and is now displayed on the east side of the courthouse park. , This building greatly influenced later building design in Albia. It did this in two ways. It introduced stone as a building material and neo-classical style architecture to the business district. You can see this influence in many of the buildings on the square now. , This building was named to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1981. , Please proceed to the W. H. Kreger Building..