Renovations spark Courthouse open house Saturday

COSHOCTON – County residents and visitors alike can review history, enjoy an evening concert and have a picnic Saturday night during the Coshocton County Courthouse Renovation Celebration.

The evening offers visitors “a look at something that belongs to them, that was restored, that was given to them by their ancestors,” said Irene Crouso Miller, former clerk of courts.

The festivities are planned for 4 to 7 p.m. on the courtsquare.

The Coshocton Community Band will perform. Oscar Rose will provide food for purchase and a silent auction will sell old courthouse windows, which now feature paintings of historic scenes by local artists.

Proceeds from the auction will be used to purchase a museum-style display case to house memorabilia inside the courthouse, Crouso Miller said.

The historic courthouse, completed in 1875 at a cost of $63,875, will open its doors for both self-guided and guided tours, Crouso Miller said. That will provide a close-up look at history and recently completed renovations.

The first-floor Jury Assembly Room will feature hundreds of historic pictures, she said, while Common Pleas Judge Robert Batchelor’s courtroom will showcase more than $222,000 in renovations completed this year.

That work included removing the dropped ceiling to reveal and restore the original ceiling and murals. It also upgraded lighting and reopened and restored the balcony, which had been closed since the 1950s.

The Coshocton, Montgomery, Schooler and Saba foundations donated $85,000 for the renovations. The court’s special projects fund contributed $93,000 and the County General Fund kicked in $45,000.

Previous work replaced windows and the roof, repaired the clock tower and repainted exterior wood.

Future plans call for repairing exterior brick and sandstone around the doors and windows this fall, Crouso Miller said.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, the Coshocton County Courthouse serves as an example of the Second Empire architectural style. It sits in the heart of downtown, between Third, Fourth, Chestnut and Main streets.

jwilliams6@gannett.com

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