Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-08-13
The City Hall Park.
TIE "oLD COURT HOUSE soUARE'-ITs HIS
TORY. TIrLE, ETc.-THE THOMAS LEAsE-THI
VARIOUS INDICTMENTS AND SUITS.

The City Hall Park. formerly known as
the Court House Square, consists of two
and a-half acres of land, bounded BY Col
E lege, Church, Main and 81. Paul streets
This tract was surveTed and mapped out by
the original prOprietors Of the town Of Bur
lington, with other tracts of corresponding
size; BIZ; was never divided into lots, nor in
}! severa!ty, nor set TO any particular proprie-
S tor right, under the charter of l76l. As
# early as 1874 this Square seems to have been
e practically devoted to public use, and was
f occupied as public common. In 1895, a
court house was built upon it for the use of
: the county By direction Of the Selectmen
:, Of the town, and in 1896 county jail was
. built. by like direction. This court house
was placed near the centre of tie Square,
near which stood the traditional pine tree.
the whipping post of that virtuous age
The jail was near the northeast corner Of
the Square, on the ground afterwards &C.
cupied by part Of Thomas Hotel, now
Strong's Building
June %. l795. the proprietors. in pro-
prietors meeting, formally dedicated this
: Square to public use by a vlte, e. follows
, " Voted That the block conts ing two acres
andone-halfofland wherein hecourt house
and gao. are built il said Burlington. shall
! and IL hereby set of for the use Of the pub
lie for the erecting Of all necessary county
and town buildings ior public use.
-
quest Of the Selec;men Of the town, and
for tie purpose Of officiating e. iailer, and
also of keeping tavern. erected tavern
house adjoining the jail This tavern house
constituted the present north part Of Stronc's
Building. 1t has been since added to on
the south and east In I5G2, another court
house was built near where the present
Fletcher Library Building stands
About 1907, some arrangement was
made between the >slectmen Of the town
and King, BY which he agreed to coz
yey 10 the county the one-hali acre
OF land on which the present jail stands,
in consideration Of one hundred dollars.
and tina; the County Court would con-
firm to Tin the quiet possession of
the part Of the Square occupied by
him- This was followed by Kings deed
to the county, dated August q. lsO-. Of
said half acre On Church street. ito be oc-
cupiei as site for q county jail and such
| other public baAding- as the SAID county /
shall direct and the jail was removed .
from the Square to the new location. \ /
difficulty seems 10 have arisen IN making
title TO King Of such part Of the Quare.
which led to m application to the Legisla-
tare OF lsO@ Tor relief The Legislature
thereupon Noyomb.r :, l.os passed the
following act
An act % enabe The se.e--ue1 o.. tie tlut Of Bur
Lu-t0a. o. .e4st g. ~ La ~ Certain parcel .
ut 44rd.
Whereas hereto. re AZ the request ~ -te Select
ueu O, TIE town o.. Bur -n-ian ~ man l..i erect
ed a dwelling house pom tie northeastern corner
u the court house 81 u4re- 10 ga ID t1WF, sd Ilu.u-
the -aol. which -ao4 BIAS since Seen removed ana
70 cons ceratan that tie county court 4 said cuu1-
~ would eouaTm g sad Lyman NM, bis hers
and zis forever. tie au et posses 0u Dl the and
Wlereou sA.- -~el-.u- house had been erected. 90
square llrll. u-netA-iFe lret east ana wtst and
eizltv-l-ne feet rNrtl and south. L. the sai1 Lv-
nan n M has conveyed by warrautee deed, t. sad
county 90. th---euuei. l4i az acre o. and wherein
the -aol Is npE erected ana doubts having sen
as Z" the poEer q The sad co-rt to confirm sad
privilege. Therefore,
Of uf STATE of ,-1aEt. Tat the eeectuca rt the
town O. Bur r-tor tfr the t-4e Pc u-. he and .
they hereny are author ze1 aud empowered o. ease
70 .-e sAl- ~ lll b NJ hs hers aud ass -us dur
n I Ne. re-.fs a. Die pepper clru yc41iy renc.
the io-los t- described p4-cs. 60. -aul sad Bur-
-a-ians 'e-iuu-n n o. The northeast corner O.. The
court house square. thence slltLlr.t ou Tie e4-,
4lae Thereof v-ltg -l.Ie feet thence western. :
n.uety -Gve feel thtuce uu-tle-lv G .-.tt-a.te
b. - H~ 80
set, g. tie pace %. be-. uu.l--
Ia accordance with tbs act. ;le Select
mea Of Darlington. is their deed Vi March
4. l-o9, rlc.;ing therein their authority,
leased TO SAD King lis heirs AID assigns
during time said rlrcc. # % feet by 80
feet. Al pepper corn rent. This ;ille % =,
King passed by deed to Henry Thomas.
JAKE ~ l--3 ara from Thomas % rmatay :
F. and William l. S.rJrr January - l-29. =
ID lsi- Strong Conveyed t. Huntington and y
Randall. 3, fee; % tue same on College street. -
being ;he par. now occupied by ; Hunt -
iogt1n'> s,.re.
This distance IF SO feet west .rola Church q
street extends e.cyen fcs; west Of Strang's ,.
piazza ard ,ae distance % 50 feet south p
rom College street only reaches to the store ~,
occupied by Wheeiock & Gfiln.-,ha. By =.
Dc an addition Of - Feet outside the ease =
70 King -.
In TIE year l--o, che town through the 70
'e.ee;men commenced Leasing parts Of the al
-ourt House Square. Commencing a. the Ii
orner Of Main and Church streets and ez- "
ending north on Church street, there were VI
. leased parcels o. about - Zee: by - feet.
o Nathaniel Mayo. Ephraim and Thomas
Ills and y. B. Haswel respectively TN W
he 2o;a Of March, ISIS. there was 50 leased az
D Henry Thomas parcel - feet in width. ia
ajoiuinc bis tavern house on tue south. ~
nd extending from Church street to the or,
outhwest corner Of the then body Of the thl
ouse, AZ rent OF Sc so a year. but with ca.
ne right reserved Of rc-antorin- and G. tht
IN ing reirvc,ted with the tile upon pay In
= Thomas the Just value Of the buildings ma
ed other Improvements which he might ed
ave put upon the premises. At the same Cpl
me. Thomas quitclaimed to the town al an.
al part OF the land leased 10 LYMAN King low
hich was west % TIE upright part Of hi op,
yern house 80 be forever kep; open for per
public coHl.on. bot saving. nevertheless, the
C ght oi kscpiu- up and using an open dar
azzt a. then u>.I l.y him. and also re \
-yiug the ii -ii De then held o. such land mel
heneyer the town should repo-sess the cos
I'd which 1t had The same day leased to out
u asc,
About the Year lsl7, Thomas extended I
2 upper story Of the tavern house over Wv, ,lS'
2 p fee; parcel leased to him b7 the sion
IN, setting the structure upon posts. and MI
wing an open passa ge-way underneath. .
III q ball room above. This 80 remained -e.p
til about lsii when Strong enclosed the cess
sage way, and converted it into a store. the
has since extended this and other parts me tus
the building eastward to Church street. com
n August, 1892, Thomas profes-ed 70 re- was
vey the land leased to him by the town crow
ls2j, but in te-cribiag it he starts Ion, ;iCl,
ON the southwest corner Of my tavern have
Use and rams south 10 tie Court House, Anna
Terminate Lis line a; the place of HI
inning, meaning hereby to convey have
land lying >oath of laid tavern " as
- o7g hall ro,,, - T,is you'd sasr, grou
be conveyance tn the town of the
: of tie Square which i; had not new
I'd. and to exclude the parce. which it e ,i1
leased At the same time. the town. by ~, ane
ed, reeiiing that the town had repos- thrill
ed Itself Of the land leased 10 Thomas in horse
), released TO him the land vest Of the rim
IN house. which he had in 1925 conveyed -io1
be 10 Il. favor
ne present Fletcher Library Building j. most
ment