|
Chapter 12: The First Butler County Courthouse |
 |
 |
 |
Butler County has had only one county seat site, the Town of Poplar Bluff. Although the Courts meet for several months in the private homes of Thomas Scott and Daniel Epps, it is incorrect to refer to these homes as the "County Seat" of Butler County. They were only temporary meeting places for the Courts until a permanent seat of government could be established. Until this was done the county officials did not have any place which could be considered "home" for the business of county government.
The first step toward a government house was made August 13, 1850, by the following court order, "Ordered that the sum of two hundred dollars be appropriated for the purpose of building a court house in Town of Poplar Bluff." This was the last meeting of the Court at the house of Daniel Epps as on the same day the Court ordered, "That the Courts of Butler County hereafter be held at Poplar Bluff," and "That the Sheriff advertise the removal of the Court by 3 hand bills." The transfer of the Court sessions to the County Seat was probably made as soon as a building had been erected in the new Town of Poplar Bluff in which the Courts could be housed. It should be remembered that the site selected for the County seat was uninhabited and, presumably, did not have any buildings until after the initial sale of lots, May 17, 1850.
The minutes of the County Court do not mention the meeting places of the Courts in Poplar Bluff before the Court House was completed. The earliest printed record we have found on the subject is a booklet titled "A View of a Growing Town," written by Richard L. Metcalfe and published in 1884. Here is Mr. Metcalfe's description of the first County Court meeting in Poplar Bluff, "Accordingly on the 11th day of November, 1850, Sheriff Newton Wallace mounted a stump on the river bank, near the old bridge, and with the customary "Oh yea, Oh yea," ushered the few spectators into the presence of the first County Court held in Poplar Bluff, the bench of which was occupied by Abraham Romine, presiding justice, John N. Yarber and William Vandover, associate justices. Jacob C. Blount was Clerk of the Court, Judges Yarber, Romine and Vandover had been elected to office in the month of August, 1850. On this day Court was held in a rail pen or shed on the bank of Black River near the foot of what is now known as Vine Street." The utter primitiveness of the situation in 1850 is made clearer by quoting Mr. Metcalfe's description of the site at the time, as follows, "The County had been organized but a short time, and at the date we write of "the place known and designated as Poplar Bluff" was but "a lodge in the wilderness," where the pioneer hand had laid low a tree here and there and erected a cabin. At that time Poplar Bluff was simply the name of a certain section of wilderness so named by virtue of the large growth of poplar timber on the place which presented then as it does not, the appearance of a bluff from a river view." In another section of his narrative Metcalfe makes this statement about Poplar Bluff during the Civil War. "There can be nothing told of the place at that time more than it was a perfect forest with only a few trees cleared here and there."
Judge D.B. Deem in his History of Butler County states that the County Court met for a time in a small log building on the northeast corner of the Public Square. Metcalfe gives the following picture of the first grand jury session in Butler County, "The debut of the grand jury system in Poplar Bluff was made in the year 1850, when twelve men" all loyal and true," assembled here, and being sworn in by Judge Hough, were marshalled by Sheriff Wallace to a pen made of joists from the house in which, *--on a spot of woods, which would now be designated as the northeast corner of the public square. Into this pen the grand jurors climbed and when seated in the interior on boxes and miscellaneous logs, presented a more intelligent than dignified appearance." Probably Deem and Metcalfe refer to the same building. Mr. Deem was more charitable in describing a crude building than was Mr. Metcalfe. In regard to the Circuit Court in Poplar Bluff Metcalfe states that "Judge Hough held court in a house opposite the Courthouse square which stands today (1884) and is conspicous for its large rock chimney." Which direction was "opposite the Courthouse square'? Also, was the building on the northeast corner of the Public Square a "squatter's building" or had it been built by order of the County Court? The Court minutes do not mention this building.
Apparently the Courts met in more than one building and the County Court and Circuit Court did not necessarily use the same building. Only one clue is in the County court minutes as to the ownership of at least one of the buildings used by the Courts. On November 13, 1850, Charles S. Henderson was allowed five dollars for "house rent."
The County Court appointed Jesse A. Gilley to plan the Courthouse and to superintend its construction. November 12, 1850, Mr. Gilley presented a plan which was accepted. The next day the Court ordered him to "let out Court House on the lst day of December adjourned term, to the lowest bidder," and "advertise the letting in each Township in the county." December 16, 1850, Mr. Gilley presented to the Court a second plan for a Courthouse which was accepted in place of the first plan. December 17, 1850, the Court appointed Phillip L. Varner, "Superintendent for building Court House." He was to give bond for $500.00 for the faithful performance of his duties. No explanation is given for the displacement of Mr. Gilley, but it was probably due to his appointment as County Treasurer. He was to turn over to Varner all the books and moneys pertaining to the office.
To date we have not found a photograph or description of this first Courthouse. Both Judge Deem and Metcalfe state that it was a small frame building on the southeast corner of the Public Square, Metcalfe states that it was a one room building but on February 10, 1852, the Court appropriated six dollars to build a "petition" in the south room, indicating at least two rooms in the building. In the original plan the intent may have been to use wide boards for siding and to cover the cracks between boards with wood strips and to finish the interior with unmatched lumber. Thus the building would have had the appearance of a shed or granary as used on farms. Whatever the original plan had been the Court made a change on May 16, 1851, providing for the building to be weatherboarded on the outside and finished on the inside as follows, "Ordered that there by an appropriation made of fifty four and a half dollars for the purpose of weatherboarding the court house with plank and sealing same with plank which is to be dressed and put on in workman style and said weatherboarding is to be 6 inches wide, ? of an inch thick, show five inches to the weather, and dressed. The sealing is to be of plank ? of an inch think, tongued and grooved andput on in workman style. Petition is to be made out of inch plank when dressed and tongued and grooved and all of said plank is to be of good sound cypress or yellow poplar and well seasoned when put upon said building, and is to be sealed over head in same way and out of same materials."
Thus the new county was coming up in the world, was acquiring status. A building constructed of dressed weatherboarding and sealed on the interior with dressed and matched lumber made a much better appearance than if made of unmatched and undressed boards. The pioneer citizens of Butler County could now be proud of their neat appearing little Courthouse.
Seemingly there was no beating of drums, no speeches of dedication when the building was finished. The County Court simply moved in and did not think it necessary to note the date in the Court minutes. From such information as we can piece together, we believe the building was occupied during the summer of 1852. To the interested citizen of today we suggest that he go to the Public Square, look at the southeast corner, then close his eyes and see in imagination a small weatherboarded building, the Courthouse of more than one hundred years ago.
*Here a phrase seems to have been omitted in printing Metcalfe's narrative.
Note: References to Deem and to Metcalfe refer respectively to "History of Butler County" by D.B. Deem and to "A View of a Growing town" by Richard L. Metcalfe.
|
|
