Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-12

expenditures on courthouse. The amount We
have paid In all on the courthouse, cut of coun.
~ building fund, is about $4,000. Says he
thinks the jail sud court-house are completed.
The commissioners have not At this date Feb.
2, l670,l accepted them 40 nnished. No sngin-
esr has examined them that know OF. Says
there never was any transfer Of courthouse fund
TO building fund or Jail fund.
Mr.. J..H. Reid, sworn ,bp J, ". Ross, Notary
Public, says; do MT know Of any written con-
traetW building any eourt-house, at fBowling
Green, with any one. There was a verbal an
derstanding, as follows, and think the history
Of the matter, a. l understand II, in 1866 The
Bowling Green people made a proposition 10
build as good courthouse and Jail as were then
at Perrysburg, provided the commissioners
would convey to them the ground on which The
buildings stosd, at Perrysburg. including the
buildings. In the winter or spring Of 1858 the
commissioners informed the Bowling Green peo-
pie thatin their opinion they could not sell the
property in Perrysburg by private sale aud com
sequently could not accept. At about thatt time
the Bowling Green people we're about TO COM
menco the erection Of courthouse, and desired
the commissioners tn select n site on which il
should be built, different lots being offered fr
that purpose. They did not ask the commis-
sOners to pay anything. Some Of the parties
offered to furnish the site free ofcharge. don't
know how they were going 10 decd them. The
commissioners visited Putnam cpsnty and looked
at the courthouse and decided that they wanted
larger courthouse than the one at Purrysburg
think they said to Bowling Green people that
they would furnish plan for the courthouse IL
the Bowling Green people would build after their
plan. IL that exhausted the fund subscribed BY
the Bowling Green people, the commissioners
would build the Jail themselves, and would add,
" necessary, TO tho fund for the completion Of
the Courthouse 10 case the fund subscribed at
Bowling Green should be insufficient. The plan
for courthouse, as furnished by the commits
soners. was for larger one. than the one at Per
rysburg, as was told II was to be 30 II. long
by so Il. wide; siIs Of the old courthouse do
not know. Under that arrangement, think, tho
Bowling Green people went forward to build d
court house in accordance with the plans and
specifications furnished by the commissioners
or the facts stated, know but little of my own
knowledge, but mostly from information received
from others. They commenced work on the
courthouse about June 1858 and laid The corner
stone on the 4th oi July, 1858. | was their le-
gal adviser at that time and told them to go
ahead after contest suit was decided by Judge
Mott. The cornerstone was part Of water table
aud laid on the foundation wall do not know
that there was any time specified within which
this agreement was to be completed. ] told them
It would take them some time, as to the court
house, that they could not complete It by the Isl;
OF October or that II was desirable to do tif they
could. ] cannot say when it was completed, or
that il IL yet completed. | saw IL last Oct. 80,
OF any writing ever existing between the COM
missoners and the people of Bowling Green,
there may have such existed. The original
specifications, | think, we're left at the Office OF
the auditor. heard II SAID they were going to
make the deed for the site Of the court-huuse IN
such wav as that the same would revert in case
1t was never used as a court house, or should
ever cease 10 be used as such. got the impress.
sion that the subscribers 10 that fund desired, in
such case, to hold them intact pro rata in tn same
revert to d. q. corporation. This was, how
ever, snc6 vague and indefinite talk IN the
part Of Bowling Grren tina; It did not amount to
muck. They wanted il in such shape that the
building and site would not belong to the cum
ty in case il should not be used as a courthouse
or in case II should cease TO be used as such.
They caulc not find any one who would take the
contract for less than $4,000 To S25000; they
had about SIS 900 or $4,000 subscribed, as |
was informed. l can't say how much they re-
allied on the subscription; but from what heard
said, suppose they realized perhaps Sl4 900 or
$4,000 over and above the total subscription
fund. The understanding was, that the commits
sioners were to furnish the money. There was
nothing said as to the amount of il.
Judge Phelps, after being sworn By George
Wedlell, clerk, saws he never has been consult
ed, officially, relative to plans Of court. house
and Jail don't know Of any change in contracts;
neveI sa any cuntracts; never have been con-
suited as to the acceptance Of courthouse aud
Jail.
On the third day o. March, 1868, the commits
sioners made and ordered the following Ieves:
Court IL ,use,. 81 o. 900
JAN '...' .'......... 5 600
County Offices ................o... 5000