It was an ordinary day. Walking through downtown Lancaster, admiring some of the oldest buildings in the state of Pennsylvania. Lancaster's first official courthouse was built in 1739. It served the needs of the community for 45 years before being destroyed by fire. The building was a two-story brick building with a clock tower and cupola on top, a sizable brick-paved courtroom on the first floor, and several meeting rooms above it. The coat-of-arms of the King of Great Britain was painted above the judge's chair until the Revolution. The pillory, stocks, and whipping post stood outside the square, which was often a muddy duck pond in wet weather. In those days, no one ever accused Lancaster's constables of being soft on crime as the pillory, stocks and whipping-post were in constant use. The best description of the building was recorded by William Marsh in 1744: It is a pretty large brick building two stories high. The ground room was very spacious. Fronting the justice's bench, and on each side of it, were several long steps or stairs.
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| The Court House in the background |
The Court House could hold, allegedly, about 800 people. On top of the Court House was a kind of cupola. You could reach it by ascending a ladder. From the top of the Court House you would have had a complete view of the entire town, and the county several miles around it; likewise a part of the Susquehanna River which was 12 miles away. I'm not quite sure I believe that, but I read several articles that described the same view. The original courthouse was the scene of the crucial Indian Treaty of 1744. For two weeks, from June 22 thru July 4, colonial leaders from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia met with the brightly painted Indian chieftains of the Six Nations.  |
| The pillory or whipping post in Lancaster |
Benjamin Franklin even attended the treaty negotiations as he was intrigued by the governmental structure of the Six Nations. This critical conference had two primary purposes: to secure Native American land for English settlement and to receive a guarantee that these Native Americans would not join the French in the border war. I would have loved to have had a chance to see this beautiful building before it was destroyed by fire in the late 1780s. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  |
| Another view of Lancaster's original Court House |
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