Tuscarawas County Courthouse - New Philadelphia, Ohio - Courthouses on Waymarking.com

In 1882, the county's third courthouse was designed by architect Thomas Boyd and built by T.B. Townsend of Zanesville for a contract price of $98,860. Townsend purchased the old courthouse from the county for $900 and used the bricks for fill material for under the new building. On October 25, 1882, the cornerstone was laid after a parade longer than 2 miles that converged on the Public Square. Over 10,000 people attended the cornerstone laying ceremony. The stone for the building was from a quarry in Medina, causing a special railroad track to be built to the site of the Courthouse. The building is 96' by 112' and consists of 38 rooms on three floors and an attic.

This Courthouse was constructed with a dome with a statue of three women made from zinc or lead-like metal weighing more than 699 pounds and was 10' wide. It was called the Three Ladies of Justice and had to be removed for safety reasons in 1959. The heads of these ladies are on display in the Commissioners' Boardroom. Topping the dome today is a cupola, which was lifted into place by a helicopter on July 26, 1973.

Currently the Courthouse building houses the Common Pleas courtrooms and administrative offices of Judge Edward Emmett O'Farrell, Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos and Judge Linda Kate. The ground floor houses the County's Law Library and Board of Elections. The Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

The 1882 Courthouse houses an 1888 Seth Thomas clock with solid brass gears. It is 8' tall and has a 225-pound solid cast iron pendulum. The faces on the portions showing outside are 6' in diameter, made of glass 1" thick. The clock has to be wound once a week with the help of a small motor. The bell is rung by a hammer.

Year Built: 1882-84 Current Use of Building: courthouse Level of Courts: County Architect: Thomas Boyd Physical Address: 101 E High Ave New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663 Dates this building was used to house judicial proceedings: Not listed Hours: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/10/2016 redwolf5 visited it 10/13/2010 buffalohiker visited it

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