Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Altered Halls of Justice" Story

My altered Polaroid of the Lancaster County Courthouse.

It was an ordinary day. Delivering an altered Polaroid photo of the Lancaster County Courthouse to Strawberry & Company in downtown Lancaster. I'm replacing one that just sold of the old courthouse that is located at the corner of East King and North Duke. Neat old building that replaced the Lancaster County Courthouse that stood for years at the square in Lancaster City. That courthouse became too small when Lancaster began to grow in the 1850s. The old courthouse served as our nation's capitol building for one day, September 27, 1777. Lancaster County was the 4th county established in Pennsylvania and by 1851 Lancaster County commissioners announced they were going to build a new courthouse, but were going to move it away from the square because it was too busy a location. They decided on the King and Duke street location and purchased three lots from current owners for $18,000. Construction for the new courthouse, which was designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, began on April 29, 1852. The actual date that the courthouse opened is vague, but the commissioners moved into the building on August 25, 1852. The basement of the new courthouse was sandstone with the superstructure being made of brick covered with a roughcast coating of mastic. It was 164 feet in length, 72 feet wide and 2 stories high. There were porticos on the north and south ends of the building and a pediment on the Duke Street side of the building. They all were supported with 6 fluted columns that stood on buttresses raised to the height of the second story. A cupola rose from the roof that featured a bell tower and carried a clock on all four sides. Topping that is Lady Justice. The bell was cast in Philadelphia in 1854 and still rings today. In the bell tower is graffiti that is placed there by retiring county employees. Pretty neat to have your name next to someone from over 150 years ago.

The original building from the 1850s before
any additions were made to it.

The main entrance is on the south or King Street side and is reached by a flight of steps. The upper floor of the courthouse housed a courtroom that was 83 feet long, 66 feet wide and 25 feet high. Next to it was the law library. The bottom floor housed the offices. In 1896 a north wing was begun and two matching wings which flanked the King St. staircase were added to the north and south sides. Some of these wings were used as courtrooms. These additions were designed by James H. Warner and C. Emlin Urban and kept to the Romanesque Revival architecture of the rest of the courthouse. In the late 1970s a final addition was added for more office space and additional courtrooms. This addition doesn't conform to the original architecture. Well, my photo which I took perhaps 30 years ago features the south side with the concrete steps, portico with fluted columns, flag pole and additions on either side next to the steps. Perhaps the most pleasing view and one which most tourists to our city photograph. These steps have seen many lawyers, criminals, demonstrators as well as tourists climb their steps of justice in the city of Lancaster, PA. I only hope they enjoy the view enough to buy one of my photos. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.