Description: Two photographs document the Fayette County courthouse in Washington Court House, Ohio. The second photograph is a close-up view of the wooden entrance doors, which are marked by bullet holes, the result of an 1894 riot following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman. The photographs measure 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). The Eclectic-style Fayette County courthouse was designed by architect David W. Gibbs and was completed in 1885. Three murals in the lobby outside the courtroom were painted by Archibald Willard, who painted the Spirit of '76. The first mural, Spirit of the U. S. Mail depicts a winged woman holding a bundle of letters in her left hand and a single envelope in the other hand that bears the inscription "A. M. Willard. . . , Cleveland, Ohio." The Spirit of Electricity portrays a woman floating above a body of water bearing a torch in her right hand. The Spirit of the Telegraph is pictured as a winged woman holding a length of telegraph wire. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3119_3737998_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; Architecture; Courthouses; Doors & doorways; Bullet holes; Riots; Justice--Administration of
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs show angry protestors and National Guard troops outside the Fayette County courthouse during a riot in 1894. The first photograph measures 4 x 6 (10.16 x 15.24 cm); the others are 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). Rioting erupted at the courthouse following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman in Washington Court House. Dolby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twenty years at the Ohio Penitentiary. The crowd, however, demanded that Dolby be lynched for the crime. Governor William McKinley, who later became president of the United States, sent out the National Guard to protect Dolby. On the morning of October 17, 1894, the National Guard troops, led by Colonel Alonzo B. Coit, ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd continued to shout and began ramming the courthouse doors. Coit and his troops fired at the crowd through the doors of the courthouse, killing six men and wounding a dozen others. Bullet holes are still visible in the wooden doors of the courthouse. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3120_3738008_001
Subjects: Military Ohio; Architecture; Ohio Government; Courthouses; National Guard; Riots; Justice--Administration of
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color image shows a front view of the Geauga County Courthouse, Chardon, Ohio. L.J. Randall, builder of the Randall Block on Main Street, was the contractor for the courthouse; Joseph Ireland (active in Cleveland 1865-1885) was the architect. Looking at the Geauga County Courthouse, note the square tower which changes to an octagon one full story above the roof line. The courthouse's cupola reaches 112 feet and contains an antique clock mechanism that was renovated in 1996 by the community and Chapter 28 of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. The bandstand on the village public green is a reconstruction of the 1875 original. The bandstand was dedicated by the community in 1981, and the brick memorial walkway was dedicated in 1993. The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as part of the Chardon Courthouse Square District. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06623
Subjects: Courthouses; Justice centers; Justice--Administration of; National Register of Historic Places; Geauga County (Ohio); Local government
Places: Chardon (Ohio); Geauga County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color image shows an exterior view of the Old Mahoning County Courthouse, Canfield, Ohio, ca. 1960-1969. Mahoning County was created in 1846 by combining townships from southern Trumbull and northern Columbiana counties. Canfield competed successfully with several surrounding communities to become the new county's seat. Its success was attributed to its central location and also to the political influence of Judge Eben Newton and Elisha Whittlesey, Esq., comptroller of the United States Treasury from 1849-1857. The State of Ohio required the county to provide "a suitable lot and $5,000 toward public buildings." Judge Newton donated the land and spearheaded the subscription of the state-required bond. This Greek Revival courthouse was completed in 1848, and an Italianate-style west wing was added in 1862. Canfield's governmental status was challenged in the early 1870s when Youngstown, by now a city, resumed its earlier quest to become the county seat. To meet the challenge, Canfield hired James A. Garfield, future president of the United States, to defend it before the Ohio Supreme Court. The Court's 1876 decision favored Youngstown, thus ending Canfield's era as the seat of Mahoning Valley government. With government records removed to Youngstown, the property reverted to Judge Newton, who donated it for educational purposes. For more than four decades the old courthouse housed both private and public schools until a 1923 public auction by the Canfield Village Board of Education dispensed with the building. Now under private ownership, the former courthouse served many commercial enterprises, including the temporary return of a county district court. An exterior restoration in the 1960s and the reconstruction of the missing bell tower returned the aging beauty to its present status as one of Ohio's finest examples of public architecture. The Old Mahoning County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06629
Subjects: Courthouses; Justice centers; Justice--Administration of; National Register of Historic Places; Mahoning County (Ohio); Canfield (Ohio); Local government
Places: Canfield (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)