Happy Birthday, San Juan County!
Posted October 2, 2013 at 10:17 am by Tim Dustrude
This is Part II in our new monthly series of articles about the history of San Juan County. Written by Shaun Hubbard for the Historical Society…
Our county will be 140 years old on October 31 (which may have something to do with a few ghostly courthouse experiences reported over the years). This county was established in 1873, the same year scenic postcards came into popular American culture. The first courthouse was more of a shack, also serving as the home of county auditor Ed Warbass. Built over that site is what we know today as the Arcade Building at 1 Spring Street. The second courthouse stood a block up on Spring Street, as depicted here (inset) around 1900. The building was not to last and islanders gathered in 1906 for the laying of the cornerstone to the current courthouse. It must have been a lengthy ceremony, as we see some people brought chairs. These images and more, plus local history books, are sold at the San Juan Historical Museum. www.sjmuseum.org
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Categories: Around Here, History
2 comments:
2 comments...
Tim, nice find on the photo! Is that the old school in the background ( the 3.5 story white building ) ?
Yes, it is the old school. It was built in 1890 and was torn down in the 1930’s. The largest bell from the belfrey can be seen on the grounds of the San Juan Historical Museum.
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