Taylor County Courthouse (Wisconsin)

Last updated
Taylor County Courthouse
Taylor County Courthouse Medford Wisconsin.jpg
Taylor County Courthouse
USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Taylor County Courthouse (Wisconsin)
Interactive map showing the location for Taylor County Courthouse
Location224 S. Courthouse Sq.
Medford, Wisconsin
Coordinates 45°08′14″N90°20′31″W / 45.13729°N 90.34205°W / 45.13729; -90.34205
Built1913
Architectural style Classical Revival
NRHP reference No. 80000198
Added to NRHPMay 14, 1980

The current Taylor County Courthouse, built in 1914, is a Neoclassical-styled three-story building with a metal-clad dome, located in Medford, Wisconsin. [1] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [2] It was preceded by a courthouse built in 1876 on the same site.

Contents

1876 Courthouse

Taylor County was established on March 4, 1875, formed from parts of larger-than-today Clark, Marathon, Chippewa and Lincoln counties. Plans began almost immediately for a courthouse in Medford. [3]

That first courthouse was built where the current courthouse sits, but the siting was controversial. Two local mill owners, Roberts and Whelen, offered five acres on the west side of the Black River for the courthouse, provided the county buy their lumber for construction at the usual price. The Wisconsin Central Railroad offered a different site for the courthouse, east of the river. Some residents supported Roberts and Whelen, but the County Board of Supervisors accepted the railroad's offer, claiming Roberts and Whelen's site was river bottom. The Board's selection of a bid for construction was itself controversial, because the $15,000 price was considered high, and was not the lowest bid. A town meeting followed in which Roberts and Whelen's site resoundingly won the vote. The county board nixed that and contracted for a courthouse at the railroad's site. But Whelen and his allies got an injunction against that plan and started building a courthouse west of the river. The mess ended up in the state Senate as a bill for the Whelen proposal, countered by a memorandum signed by 440 county citizens against the bill. The Senate passed the bill, but the Assembly sent it into committee, which buried it. In spring of 1876 the courthouse was built east of the river at the Wisconsin Central's site for a price of $5,360.75. [3] Arthur Latton later wrote:

The fight caused so much hard feeling that it made enemies of former friends for a generation. ... Whelen, the energetic, public spirited citizen who had done so much for the new settlement in a business way, and who had almost single-handedly secured the creation of the new county and the location of the county seat at Medford, must have been a very disappointed man. After all the contention and wrangling, he died in September and was buried in Green Bay. [4]

This first courthouse, built on the site of the modern courthouse, was an elegant two-story wooden building with narrow windows and a tall cupola. [5] It was expanded in 1889 to meet growing needs for space. [3]

1914 Courthouse

The 1876 courthouse was built in the boom of the county's railroad-logging era. By 1912, when the county began seriously thinking about replacing the old courthouse, most of the best timber had been cut off. The stated reasons for replacing the courthouse revolved around its vault, which was supposed to protect important records. People were aware that when the U.S. Land Office in Eau Claire burned, documents in its supposedly safe vault were destroyed - documents which could not be replaced. [3] Twenty years later, one of the members of the building committee wrote:

The [other] reason, not publicly discussed but fully considered by some progressive members of the board, was that the courthouse should be built now because the original wealth of Taylor County timber was fast disappearing, thus leaving the financing and payment of the new courthouse to the farmers and the endless slashings.... If the building had been postponed or had the plan for financing the building by long term bond issue been approved, as it was suggested by some lumbering interests, the farmers and bona fide citizens would have had to pay the bill." [6]

The new courthouse was designed by Baldwin Mehner, a son of Dorchester, who had designed the Calumet County Courthouse shortly before. [7] Hutter Construction won the building contract with a $57,203 bid and began building in 1913. The dedication ceremony was September 9, 1914, with fireworks, a $150 prize for best decorated automobile, a $30 prize for best driving horses, and $15 for a tug-of-war contest between the different townships. [3]

The final building (today's building, pictured above) is three stories, with the first floor clad in limestone and upper two in red brick. The dome on top is octagonal and metal-clad, with clocks on four sides. [1] [8] Initially the first floor and second floors were occupied by county offices and the third floor housed the circuit court. [3] In the 1950s the building's electrical system was upgraded. In 2007, windows were replaced and the exterior brick was cleaned and repointed. [9] The county celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the building on September 6, 2014.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Taylor County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,913. Its county seat is Medford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medford, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Medford is a city in Taylor County, in north-central Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,349 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the boundaries of the Town of Medford. It is the county seat of Taylor County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownstone</span> Type of sandstone, or U.S. townhouse built thereof

Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jump River (CDP), Wisconsin</span> Census-designated place in Wisconsin, United States

Jump River is an census-designated place in the towns of Jump River and McKinley in Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Jump River, from which the hamlet takes its name. As of the 2010 census, its population was 52.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winston County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Winston County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Double Springs, Alabama, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 27, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calumet County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Calumet County Courthouse, built in 1913, is an historic copper-domed county courthouse building located at 206 Court St in Chilton, Wisconsin. Designed by B. Mehner in the Classical Revival style, it was built of red brick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. Ross Adair Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The E. Ross Adair Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Fort Wayne in Allen County, Indiana. The building is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Customhouse (Houston)</span> Historic building in Houston, Texas, U.S.

The United States Customhouse is a historic custom house located at Houston in Harris County, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Redden Federal Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The James A. Redden Federal Courthouse, formerly the United States Post Office and Courthouse, is a federal courthouse located in Medford, Jackson County, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1916 under the supervision of architect Oscar Wenderoth, it houses the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. A substantial extension was completed in 1940, under the supervision of architect, Louis A. Simon. In September 1996, the United States Senate enacted a bill introduced by Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield to rename the building for long-serving District Court judge James A. Redden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> Courthouse in Iowa, United States

The Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, United States was built from 1955 to 1956 and extensively renovated over a ten-year period between 1998 and 2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility. In 2020 the courthouse was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic, Iowa, United States, was built in 1934 as the first courthouse in the state built with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benton County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Benton County Courthouse, located in Vinton, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calhoun County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Calhoun County Courthouse, located in Rockwell City, Iowa, United States, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Decatur County Courthouse, located in Leon, Iowa, United States, was built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the sixth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Taylor County, Wisconsin</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Taylor County, Wisconsin. It is intended to provide a comprehensive listing of entries in the National Register of Historic Places that are located in Taylor County, Wisconsin. The locations of National Register properties for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below may be seen in a map.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottumwa City Hall</span> United States historic place

Ottumwa City Hall is the official seat of government for the city of Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The building originally served as a post office and federal courthouse. It is part of the Central Park area, which includes: Ottumwa Public Library, Wapello County Courthouse and St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic St. Ann's (Greenwood, Taylor County, Wisconsin)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

Saint Ann's Catholic Church and Cemetery is a historic rural, Roman Catholic church in the town of Greenwood, Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at W3963 Brehm Avenue, south of Rib Lake and north of Medford. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. W. Benn Building</span> United States historic place

The J. W. Benn Building is a Beaux-Arts-Classic-styled commercial building located in downtown Medford, Wisconsin. John W. Benn had it built in 1912 as a private post office. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Courthouse (Austin, Texas, 1936)</span> Historic structure in Austin, Texas

The Austin United States Courthouse is a historic former federal courthouse in downtown Austin, Texas. Built between 1935 and 1936, the building exemplifies Depression-era Moderne architecture, while Art Moderne and Art Deco finishes characterize the interior. It housed the Austin division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and other judicial offices until 2012, when a new federal courthouse building was completed. Since 2016 the building has been owned by Travis County, and it has housed the county probate courts since 2020. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis County Courthouse</span> Judicial building in Austin, Texas

The Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse is the county courthouse for Travis County, Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the courthouse holds civil and criminal trial courts and other functions of county government. The courthouse was built between 1930 and 1931 in the then-contemporary PWA Moderne style, and it was later expanded in 1958 and 1962.

References

  1. 1 2 "Taylor County Courthouse". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wilson, Brian (2014-08-28). "The Taylor County Courthouse has a rich history". Supplement to The Star News - Taylor County Courthouse Centennial. Medford, Wisc.: Central Wisconsin Media, Inc.
  4. ↑ Latton, Arthur J. (1947). Reminiscences and Anecdotes of Early Taylor County. pp. 23–25. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
  5. ↑ "First Taylor County jail destroyed by fire in 1892". Supplement to The Star News - Taylor County Courthouse Centennial. Medford, Wisc.: Central Wisconsin Media, Inc. 2014-08-28.
  6. ↑ Gamper, John. "unknown title". Taylor County Star News. Originally printed October of 1936 and quoted in The Taylor County Courthouse has a rich history article cited above.
  7. ↑ "Local architect". Supplement to The Star News - Taylor County Courthouse Centennial. Medford, Wisc.: Central Wisconsin Media, Inc. 2014-08-28.
  8. ↑ Diane H. Filipowicz (December 1979). "Taylor County Courthouse". NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form. US Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-04-22. With one photo.
  9. ↑ "Major renovation undertaken in 2007". Supplement to The Star News - Taylor County Courthouse Centennial. Medford, Wisc.: Central Wisconsin Media, Inc. 2014-08-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.