The New County Takes Pride in Its County Seat

The New County Takes Pride in Its County Seat. . , Ocean County Courthouse (1850) , 118 Washington Street , Built from borrowed plans¹ used to construct the Hudson County Courthouse, this two-story red brick building was designed in a neo-classical Greek revival style with six Doric columns. Joseph Coward was so delighted that the Freeholders selected his cornfield for location of the courthouse that he donated the land and also 6,000 bricks, shipped from New York, to launch construction of the building., The main courtroom, known as Historic Courtroom One located on the second floor, has been used for trials, Freeholder Board meetings, other public assemblies, and mustering local Union soldiers during the Civil War (1861-1865). This historic courtroom has been refurbished many times and was completely restored in 2002. The original courthouse site included the construction of the Sheriff's House, located on the northwest side of the courthouse, and its attached jail with several cells.² Construction of both structures was completed in 1851. Because there was no need for more jail cells until the 1920s, the two buildings remained functional until the population increased and more jail cells were added in a new larger building constructed behind the courthouse. The major population explosion that occurred during the 1950s - 1980s made it necessary to provide more jail space and move the sheriff and staff to offices away from downtown to a less congested site. As the county's population grew after World Wars I and II, it became necessary to make additions to the courthouse. The Hall of Records was added in 1926 on the east side but demolished in 1950 to build four new courtrooms. Two additions were made on the west side in 1974. These included the County Clerk's Office, the Surrogate's Court, and the Small Claims Court. In 1985, still more space was needed for trials, judges' chambers, recordkeeping, courtrooms, and more jail cells. To accommodate this expansion, the Ocean County Justice Complex was constructed on the northeast side of the original courthouse., On the front lawn of the courthouse, a Revolutionary War cannon is displayed. After the vicious attack on the Toms River Blockhouse in March of 1782, the British and their Loyalist allies disabled the weapon and dumped it into the Toms River. It remained there until it was recovered and placed on the courthouse lawn in 1903. Memorial markers for nineteen Ocean County soldiers, sailors, and marines killed in action (1941-2007) are mounted along the north side of Washington Street and along the east side of Courthouse Lane., Blake House (c. 1891) , 121 Washington Street , The exterior of this multi-gabled Victorian house displays a variety of wood shingle treatments. Around 1900 the building served as the convent for the nuns who taught at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic elementary school located on Hooper Avenue. When the nuns moved to another residence, the house was sold, and it became a private residence that was occupied for many years. Eventually, the house was sold again and remodeled for use as professional offices. The exterior continues to retain its Victorian elements and architectural integrity., ¹ After the courthouse construction was completed, the borrowed Hudson County courthouse architectural plans were entrusted to a local "courier" for safe return to Hudson County. Apparently, the courier was not too far out of Toms River when he stopped at a tavern for refreshment. Ever since, Hudson County's architectural plans for its courthouse have been "lost" somewhere between Ocean County's courthouse in Toms River and Hudson County's courthouse in Jersey City., ² The Sheriff's House was divided into a residence for the sheriff and his family as well as an attached 10-cell jail for prisoners. The sheriff (or his wife) cooked meals and served inmates in their cells. The sheriff was reimbursed for the food at the rate of 50 cents per meal for each inmate served. A bell was rung to warn villagers if a prisoner escaped., [Captions:] , Joseph Parker (1818-1893) of Forked River was appointed as the first Sheriff of the newly formed County of Ocean after its separation from Monmouth Co. in 1850.