View source for Licking County Courthouse

History of the Licking County Courthouse

Our beautiful courthouse is the fourth one at this site.  The first was a log cabin built around 1808 or 1809 right after Licking County was formed out of Fairfield County.  The second was a two-story brick building erected in 1815.  The third was a larger two-story brick building built in 1832.  It was destroyed by fire in 1875, which also destroyed many court records that genealogists seek today.  The present courthouse was designed by architect H. E. Myer of Cleveland and built between 1876-1878.  Its cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1876 as part of the country's Centennial celebration.  A mile-long parade arrived at the courthouse for the ceremony, led by General Charles R. Woods.  The dedication was on October 19, 1878.

The outside walls on the upper level are almost two feet thick, and the inside walls are 15 inches.  The building contained stained glass portraits of U.S. Presidents, believed to have been done by Louis Tiffany.  Many other dignitaries were represented with busts.  Beautiful paintings covered the ceilings.  The structure was built to be fireproof, but five months after opening on March 29, 1879, the upper part caught fire.  Firemen who arrived by train from Columbus were able to confine the damage, and it was repaired quickly, but some court records and much of the valuable artwork were destroyed. Some of the stained glass was replaced by local artist T. D. Jones. <ref> A Bicentennial History of Licking County, Ohio 1808-2008, comp. by Dan Fleming and D. Robert Tharp, 2008. </ref>

Licking County Public Records (inactive)

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