Jefferson County marks courthouse’s 150th year

It was a special occasion in Jefferson County on Friday.

“This is the first time I have ever attended a birthday party for a building,” Jefferson County Commissioner Herb Bullers said during the sesquicentennial celebration for the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Pennsylvania Associate Supreme Court Justice Kevin Daugherty, who attended the celebration, said the edifice was “shaped by the people of Jefferson County.”

“The rule of law and the protection of our civil rights all began here,” he said. “No citizen is above the law and no citizen beneath its protection.”

Jefferson County Commissioner Jeff Pisarcik was on the board of commissioners when the building was renovated nearly 10 years ago. He said structural damage forced the commissioners to decide whether to raze the building or restore the old structure.

The public, Pisarcik said, was divided, but the commissioners decided the history of the building could never be replaced.

“We had to decide what was important not only for Brookville but for the county,” he said.

However, Pisarcik said, the offices needed to be changed or moved.

“Every part of this building has been renovated,” he said. “What this building represents has been preserved.”

Common Pleas Judge John H. Foradora said the original 1830s courthouse was razed to make room for the new building in 1869.

The courthouse was renovated in 1927 and again in 2010. It was newly painted this year.

Moriah Hathaway, of Gov. Tom Wolf’s office, read a proclamation from the governor.

State Rep. Cris Dush, R-66th District, read from the original dedication address in 1869.

Deborah Pontzer, of U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s office, R-15th District, presented a copy of the floor speech that Thompson read in the House of Representatives.

Jefferson County Commissioner Jack Matson said the idea for the sesquicentennial celebration was launched when he discovered documents. He thanked the members of the sesquicentennial committee for making the event happen.