1724 Chester Courthouse

Description

The German Colonial-style courthouse is 2½ stories high with no basement and 2-foot-thick walls. The south and east facades of the building are hewn stone, with the other two built of rubble stone. The Quaker influence on the building can be seen in the two front doors, one for men and the other for women.

The interior measures 31 by. The first level has a stone-floored court room divided by a low wooden railing designed to separate the judges and lawyers from court observers. There are no fireplaces on the first floor, but both the jury room and petit jury room on the second floor have fireplaces. The second floor is accessed by a stairwell in the northwest corner of the building.

The cupola on the courthouse contained a bell that was cast in London and added in 1729. The bell was removed for many years but returned during a 1920 restoration. A three-sided bay with large multi-paneled windows was added in 1744.

History

The Chester courthouse was built in 1724 and was the fourth courthouse built in Chester. William Hewes, a Lower Chichester Township mason did the stone masonry work.

In 1789, the Chester County seat was moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, and the Chester Courthouse served as the Delaware County courthouse.

The courthouse was used by the Delaware County Historical Society until 1966 when structural deficiencies forced them to relocate.

The court room was the oldest active court in use in the United States until 1967. Every year, one trial was held in the court room to maintain that status.

Each year in May, during the celebration of Law Day, a special ceremony is held at the Chester Courthouse. Students from the Chester-Upland School District present a mock trial before Judges of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts to commemorate the significance of the courthouse and its importance to American jurisprudence.

References

References

1. {{NRISref. 2009a
2. "PHMC Historical Markers". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
3. "Saving Chester's 1724 Court House".
4. (2001). "County Courthouses of Pennsylvania: A Guide". Stackpole Books.
5. Pennsylvania Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks. (January 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP 1724 Chester Courthouse". National Archives and Records Administration.
6. (1877). "Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania". Wm. H. Pile & Sons.
7. (1997). "Law Making and Legislators In Pennsylvania: A Biographical Dictionary Volume 2 1710-1756". University of Pennsylvania Press.
8. (1884). "History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania". L. H. Everts & Co..
9. "1724 Old Chester Court House". ExplorePAhistory.com.
10. "Law Day at the 1724 Colonial Courthouse".