Furniture for the Boone County Court House


 

In April of 1821 Churchill Gaines was asked to take charge of the Public Buildings of the Boone County, KY, under an act of the Kentucky Legislature. He was asked to fix the spouts in the Courthouse to prevent water from injuring the walls. He was also to have seats made and put on the lobby floor of the Courthouse. [CO/ 2 Apr 1821 = B-181] In October of that year he was paid $6.00 for the benches, $5.00 for a bookcase, $1.00 for something unreadable, possible stovepipes, and $2.00 for cleaning the building. He was paid $6.00 for keeping the stray pen, and taking care of the public buildings.

In October of that year Moses Scott, long-time county surveyor, and Justice of the Peace, was to purchase two stoves "upon the Best Terms" and have them fixed in the Courthouse. [CO/ 1 Oct 1821 = B-206]

This is the only furniture we can document up to that year. There were no doubt seats or benches for the assembled Justices, and a seat with a clerk's table — possibly the one now in the old county clerks building. There may have been a few more odds and ends there, but probably not much. The bookcase was certainly for the county records and for the statues of the Commonwealth, with which every Justice was supposed to be familiar.

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