After 32 years without a Court House building on the square in Kirksville, Mo., the citizens of Adair County voted in 1897 to finance a maximum of $50,000 to build one. Our present Adair County Court House was completed in 1899 at a cost of $46,695. The county employees moved in on March 31, 1899. The architect was Robert G. Kirsch from Milwaukee (chosen from 9 submissions). The construction company was Anderson and Menke of Quincy, Illinois. The exterior was made of Ohio blue sandstone. (It was later sandblasted and turned a yellowish color.) Due to the previous court house having burned down in 1865, officials required that this building be as fireproof as possible, with steel staircases, a tile roof, and fireproof vaults. The cornerstone ceremony and parade in May 1898 attracted a crowd of 15,000. On March 10, 1899, the Kirksville Commercial Club held a lavish banquet at the Central Hotel in Kirksville, in honor of the completion of this stately building. Included in the program for this event was a list of speakers, the exquisite menu, a pencil sketch of the Court House, and a photo of the Honorable J. S. Hickman who was the Presiding Justice of the Adair County Court in 1899. The tower on top of the Court House with its 4-sided clock, lookout platform, and Lady Justice statue was considered the “main attraction” of the building. However, these lasted only 50 years. The weight of the tower became a safety issue, so it was removed in May 1949. The 185 lb., 8-foot tall Lady Justice was returned to the top of the patched-up roof. All photos here are courtesy of the Adair County Historical Society where one of the four clock faces is now preserved and on display.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:38:31 +0000