|
|
History of the Leon County Florida Courthouse
|
|
From the December 7, 1990, dedication program for the current courthouse Leon County was created by the
Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida at its first meeting in
the City of Tallahassee. The
Act, signed by Governor Duval on December 28, 1824, set up Leon County
with the boundaries "comprehended within the line corresponding on the
west by the
Ochlockonee River, or the eastern boundary of Gadsden County, on the
north by the boundary line of the state of Georgia, on the east by the
river Suwannee,
and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico." The original boundaries of
Leon County have been modified by the creation of Jefferson County to
the east in 1827,
of Wakulla County to the south in 1828, and by minor changes in the
western boundary in 1933.
By Act in 1822 of the Legislative Council, each county was to be
governed by a county court. Originally the court enjoyed administrative
functions only; after 1823, the court was vested with administrative and
judicial responsibilities. The Leon County Court, consisting of a
presiding judge,
associate judge, justice of the peace and clerk of the court, held its
first session in March of 1825. This court set about the organization
of county work,
gave orders for the collection of taxes, the holding of elections, the
building and maintenance of roads and bridges, the establishment of
ferries, and the
care of the county's indigent. From 1824-1837, the county court offices
were housed in various locations. The Leon Academy, Jackson Masonic
Hall and offices of
the City Council were among those locations rented for the court and
county government.
The minutes book of the Leon County Court, covering proceedings from
March 14, 1825, to September 19, 1833, reveals that on March 22, 1832,
the court authorized
a commission "to receive proposals, and contract for the building of a
Court House on the Court House Square in Tallahassee." The commission
was also authorized
to make brick for the building on land belonging to the county. A
contract was subsequently awarded to John W. Levinus to make bricks on
the lot where the Mayo
Building now stands. The first courthouse was built during 1832-1833 on
Park Avenue where the Federal Courthouse is now located. This
courthouse was destroyed
by fire on May 19, 1879. [Shown in next photo.]
Photo courtesy State Archives of Florida
On June 23, 1879, the County Commission voted to issue bonds for the
building of a new courthouse. Washington Square (the site of the
present building) was transferred by the city to the commission for the
new building. Construction began in 1880 and the new courthouse was
completed in 1882.
During the 1910s, historical photographs indicate that the courthouse
was expanded and modified several times. [Note by County Coordinator:
This building was in
the Victorian style called "Second Empire", shown in the two photos
below.]
In 1924, major improvements were
undertaken on the building, two wings of two rooms each were built on
each front corner of the building. The Tallahassee Democrat and
Weekly Record of February 22, 1924, reports concerning the
improvements: "The interior will be somewhat rearranged and includes
new modern plumbing of adequate convenience
together with a restroom for ladies. The latter feature is one which
nowadays is always incorporated in plans for public buildings and one
which has long been needed in the court
house here." [Next photo is of the 1924 courthouse after the cupola was
removed, and interior and exterior renovations made.]
Photo courtesy State Archives of Florida
The Leon County Court House was again enlarged and remodeled in 1942. [Shown in 1948 photo below.]
|
return to main page
Copyright Notice
All files on this site are copyrighted by their creator.
They may not be reproduced on another site without
specific permission from Vickie Sturgill Stevens
. Although public information is not in and of itself
copyrightable, the format in which they are presented, the
notes and comments, etc., are.
© 2013 FlGenWeb Project
|
|