It is no coincidence many of our historic civic buildings in the county are iconic. They were built to impress, stand the test of time and be adapted to changing needs in many cases. Such as the case of the DeKalb County Courthouse that was officially completed and dedicated 100 years ago in 1914. The building is DeKalb Countys fourth courthouse (the first was in Wesley Parks log cabin home). Three official courthouses would follow beginning around 1843. The previous building was completed by 1864 and demolished in 1910. Construction began for the present building in 1911. Changes were made to the building as construction progressed such as the addition of the clock. Waterloo also made one more attempt in 1910 to move the county seat there. The leadership in that community knew the odds were against them, but many in the county were not happy with the price tag projected for the new courthouse: $250,000. Waterloos leadership was not opposed to the idea of a new courthouse if it stayed within the price range stated originally. They were leery the project would go over budget. It did. When it was all said and done the Beaux Art styled courthouse cost over $325,000 including its furnishings. From 1910 to 1932, DeKalb County would see a boom in the construction of many outstanding civic buildings: schools, libraries, town halls, churches and government structures would rise across the county. Many still define our communities today as some our best admired and loved landmarks. Here is a look at our present and past courthouses. FYI. The courthouse from 1843 was burned on purpose to celebrate the end of the civil war. Its successor (the building with the tower) had already been completed and was in use. The frame building had been purchased and was being prepared to be relocated and reused by Daniel Altenburg who offered it up as material for one big bon fire.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 02:33:23 +0000
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