Calaveras County Courthouse

Calaveras County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The 1893 Hall of Records building
Calaveras County Courthouse Calaveras County Courthouse
Location	Main St., San Andreas, California
Coordinates	38°11′48″N 120°40′45″W
Area	0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built	1867 (1867)
NRHP reference No.	72000221
Added to NRHP	February 28, 1972

The Calaveras County Courthouse is a historic courthouse built in 1867 in San Andreas, California. The brick courthouse contained the county's courtroom, jail, and sheriff's office; until 1888, executions were also conducted in the building. The building's jail held outlaw Black Bart, a notorious Northern California highwayman, during his 1883 trial. The county's Hall of Records was built in front of the courthouse in 1893; the two buildings nearly touch and are considered part of the same complex.

In 1966, after moving its court operations to a new building, the county turned over the 1867/1893 courthouse complex to the Calaveras County Historical Society, which now operates it as the Calaveras County Museum.

The Calaveras County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 1972.

In 2008, volunteers restored the remains of the first courthouse in Calaveras county -- the Double Springs Courthouse of 1850-1851, which was a China house originally assembled by Chinese carpenters out of Canton-made camphor wood panels that interlocked without the use of nails -- and placed it on display inside the Museum.

Description

The building is a two-story brick structure with dimensions of 46′ 4" by 67 1⁄2′. Both the bricks and the lime used in the mortar were sourced locally. Due to substandard foundations, the building has settled over time, causing cracks in some of the walls. Although some repairs have been made, additional work is required.

In keeping with the architectural style of the period and region, the brick building was equipped with iron doors and shutters on all exterior openings, providing protection from fire, vandalism, and burglary. The foundation was constructed from dry fieldstone, with cut granite slabs forming the base upon which the brick walls rest. The settling of the stone foundation has led to cracks in the brick walls, and further repairs are planned. The roof, currently covered with asphalt shingles, was likely originally protected by sheet metal, a material commonly used during that time.

Initially, the building was heated with wood stoves until around 1950, when liquid petroleum gas was introduced. Lighting was provided by oil lamps until the arrival of electric power in 1900.

The pine flooring was eventually covered with linoleum. The window frames, made of sugar pine, feature tall, narrow openings and are fitted with small-paned double-hung sashes. The interior staircases are circular and steep. Sanitary facilities were not added until the Hall of Records was constructed in 1893. The rear section of the first floor housed a jail, which featured a common area, a kitchen, and six cells equipped with double-deck iron bunks. An unusual aspect of the construction is the use of 2x8 pine planking for the cells. In 1900, the original solid plank cell doors were replaced with iron grills, and electric lighting was introduced to the jail. In 1958, automatic fire protection was installed in the wooden cells.

Significance

The historic courthouse, built in 1867, remained in operation until 1966, when a new Government Center was constructed on the town's eastern edge. The original building housed the jail, courtroom, and sheriff's office. The jail yard was the site of executions, with the last one occurring on August 31, 1888. The notorious stagecoach robber, Charles Bolton, better known as "Black Bart," was detained here during his trial. He was convicted and sentenced to six years at San Quentin, of which he served four years and two months before being paroled.

Initially, the courthouse accommodated all the county offices, including the clerk, sheriff, assessor, treasurer, recorder, superintendent of schools, judges, district attorney, and the courtroom. The county jail was located on the first floor at the rear of the building, with a jail yard enclosed by a 12-foot-high, 18-inch-thick wall made of fieldstone rubble.

In 1893, a second brick building was constructed at the front of the lot, close to the courthouse's front wall. This new structure became the Hall of Records, and some county offices relocated there. For a century, from 1867 to 1966, the Calaveras County Courthouse served as the hub of political and administrative activity for the county and its residents.

See also

• California Historical Landmarks in Calaveras County
• Calaveras County Superior Court
• Double Springs, California

External links

• Calaveras County Historical Society & Museum
• Photos from the NRHP nomination