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County Courthouse
Homesteading In Rooks County
Rooks County Courthouse
In 1881, the county voted to spend
five thousand dollars for a 42 x 50 two-story courthouse. The
two-story courthouse and a small cottonwood jail was built in
Stockton at the corner of 2nd and Elm Streets. The courthouse
was used until 1922 when the new courthouse was built at 1st and
Walnut Streets.
The present Rooks County Courthouse
was built in 1921. The builder was Cuthbert & Sons, and the
architect was F. C. Squires from Topeka. The land was purchased
as follows: The south 1/2 of blocks 1,3,5,7 from J. T. and Martha
E. Smith; the north 1/2 of blocks 1,3,5,7 from the Newahcuba Lodge
#189; and blocks 9,11,13,15,17 from Peter G. and Emma C. Griebel.
The structure is a Bedford Stone Structure with county offices
on the first three floors and a jail on the fourth floor.
The courthouse cost over three hundred
thousand dollars. County warrants were sold to Brown Crummer Investment
Company for financing for the erection and completion of the courthouse.
There was marble imported by Lautz Marble Company, and the decorating
was done by William Andrews Company of Chicago.
The cornerstone was laid in a grand
ceremony on September 8, 1921. In the cornerstone was placed a
copy of each of Stockton's newspapers, the Review and
the Record, several old coins, a copy of the by-laws
of Newahcuba Lodge #189, a list of the Grand Officers who had
charge of the ceremonies, a list of members of local lodges, a
statement of the cost description, the date of letting of the
contract, and the pen used to sign the contract. The building
was completed in 1923.
The staircases are made of solid marble
and the corridors are lined from the floor up five feet with solid
sheets of marble. The corridor floors are original ceramic tile.
The doors and casings are all solid original oak. The third floor
contains the courtroom, which has a two-story ceiling. The judge's
bench, the jury box, and the press box are enclosed by solid marble.
There are seven original vaults throughout the courthouse with
beautiful ornate door casings.
In 1974, an elevator, fire escape,
and central air conditioning were added. In 1994, a veteran's
memorial was dedicated outside of the northeast corner of the
courthouse. And finally, near the end of 2000, the building was
officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources
Information from Roger Hrabe,
Rooks County Economic Development Director
