Hancock County Courthouse (Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hancock County Courthouse
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Front of the courthouse
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Courthouse Sq., Findlay, Ohio |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1886-1888 |
| Architect | Weary & Kramer |
| Architectural style | Palladium, Victorian, and Richardson Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001475 |
| Added to NRHP | May 7, 1973 |
The Hancock County Courthouse is a really old and important building in Findlay, Ohio, United States. It's a special place where local government and courts do their work. This beautiful building was constructed between 1886 and 1888. Because of its history and unique design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it's recognized as a significant historical site.
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Building a New Courthouse
The idea for this courthouse started in 1885. It was planned to replace an older brick courthouse that stood in the same spot. Around that time, oil and natural gas were discovered in Hancock County. This discovery brought a lot of money to the area. Because of this wealth, the new courthouse was built with many fancy and unique styles.
On April 17, 1885, the Ohio General Assembly (which is like Ohio's state parliament) gave permission to build the new courthouse. They also approved raising $100,000 to help pay for it. The first stone of the building, called the cornerstone, was placed on August 11, 1886. W.H. Campfield won the first job to build the outside walls. This part was finished by November 1886. Campfield then won the job to finish the rest of the building. Even with some delays, the project grew from an estimated cost of about $121,000 to over $305,000.
Cool Architecture and Features
The courthouse is quite large, measuring 82 feet wide and 142 feet long. It stands very tall, reaching 139.5 feet from the ground to the very top. At the top, there's a statue of John Hancock, who was a famous Founding Father of the United States. Hancock County is named after him!
The statue of John Hancock is made of copper and is about 18 feet tall. He stands next to a pedestal that has a law book on it, right on top of the clock tower. In September 1922, a big storm actually blew the statue off the courthouse! It was badly damaged but was fixed and put back up the next year.
Below John Hancock, you can see three more copper statues of women. These figures represent important ideas: Law, Justice, and Mercy. The clock tower itself has four clock faces, one pointing in each main direction (north, south, east, and west). Each clock face is very big, about 8 to 9 feet across. When the clocks were first built, they had a heavy pendulum and a 3,000-pound bell. People had to wind them by hand until 1925, when they were changed to run on electricity. The clocks and their inner workings were made by a company called E. Howard & Co..
Restoration and Original Details
In the 1990s, the courthouse went through a big restoration project that cost $3 million. A restoration means fixing up an old building to make it look like new again, while keeping its original style. Many parts of the building are still original from when it was first built. For example, the shiny brass railings on the second and third floors are the same ones from the 1880s. The brass medallions (round decorations) below the railings are also original.
You can also see the beautiful, patterned tiled floors. The colorful, floral stained glass windows are also original. And the impressive Victorian woodwork inside the building is still the same as it was over a hundred years ago.
What Happens Inside Today
Today, the Hancock County Courthouse is still a very busy and important place. It houses several key offices and courts for Hancock County. These include the Hancock County Common Pleas Court, where important legal cases are heard. It also has the Clerk of Courts office, the Law Library, and the offices for the Recorder, Auditor, and Treasurer. These offices help manage county records, finances, and other important public services.
