The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-11-14
WOMEN CLERKS
Did Not Wait in Stores in Can
tons
EARLY HISTORY.

! keGOlleCNOus OF FOTNy hShFs AkO
The First Court House and Those
Since That Time.
The completion of our present new
court house. reminds me Of the changes
that have taken place within my recollec-
tion In court houses In Stark county.
The present structure Is the third l have
seen standing Oh the same location.
My first reColleotiOns go back to the
first court. house, which stood at the
southeast corner OF the present court
house. The original courthouse lot was
only one third as large as the present
block now occupied for court house and
jall. There was one lot running from
Market to Court street. The other two
lots in said block north of the courthouse
lot were occupied as follows: The first
one by VIM. Christmas and Joseph Shorb,
who each had store rooms thereon: the
north lot was occupied by M. and j.
| Laird, doing n general inechandise busi-
ness, and John Laird also had his resi-
denco in tho same building and the north
half Of said lot was the old stanu Of the
| Farmers Bank Jf Canton and In after
years occupied by V. b. Snyder for a gro
Gerry store.
While the bank was still there they
Bockius, grandfather Of L. V. Bockius
occupied this position for long time.
He had a small watchman's house on the
curb little north Of the present water
fountain and from this he would some
forth each hour Of the night calling out
the hour and announcing the weather
clear, rainy, or otherwise.
THE FIRST COURT HOUSE ERECTED
Ia. A g.,
built Of brick two stories high with the
courtroom on the first floor and four
rooms up stairs used for jury rooms and
other county business. The roof was n
wooden one, hipped from each side up to
the center, and from this center arose the
spire or steeplo. 1t was quite an old
style affair very similar to the one taken
down few years ago when the old st,
Peters Catholic church was torn down.
have a picture in my possession of the
old courthouse, and county offices west
Of it.
The weather vane on the top Of the
steeple had plainly inscribed upon it
"lSl6," indicating the year In which 1t
was built. In this courthouse stCeple
was the same bell that is now in the
tower of the central engine house, corner
Of Eighth and Court streets.
Peter Burger, father of Mrs. b. +.
Letter, who is still with us, took care of
the court house for many years, and rung
the bell for school hour in the morning,
at noon and again at 0 o'clock mt night,
which was the signal for closing the
stores. At that time stores were kept
open until late in the evening. Clerks in
those days were expected to be on duty !
from sunrise until O'Clock Mt night, and |
how we boys in stores 55 or go years ago. |
did hustle to close up our stores as soon
as we had heard the jingle of the old |
court. house bell at night.
Impertus Martin, John Patton, David |
A. Dangler Of Cleveland, and myself can
all bear testimony to these things, as we
were all in stores in Canton from 1886 to
1910.
LADY CLERKS
were then not introduced with us Mrs.
Martin Wikidal, would often assist in the
store, but II was not common thing to
see ladies behind the counter In those
days.
West Of the old court house was va
cant space of about fifteen feet, then
came one-story brick building facing
on Tuscarawas street, with four county
offices in It, viz: Clerk Of courts, recorder,
auditor, and treasurer: then another
vacant space Of about fifteen feet, then a
small frame building, one STORY, in which
was the law offices of Starkweather &
Jarvis, and beyond that to Court street, Il
larger one.story frame building, occupied
for years by Reynolds & Ream, and other
parties in their turn.
Eventually all the buildings west Of
the old courthouse were taken away, and
q new, two-story brick structures put in
their place, extending from the court
house to Court street. This building had
on the first foor the four offices already
named rs having been in the old
ONE STORY BRICK BUILDING
and an additional room next to the court
house, which was the probate court room.
Before that time there was no need Of a
probate court room, as the office did not
then exist.
The upper story of this twO-story county
building had four or five suits of Offices,
which were occupied for law offices and
other purposes The late Alexander
Bierce had his law offices in one of said
rooms Thomas Goodman, now of Chi
cago, had his insurance offices in one of
said rooms for years, and the late Brice
s. Hunter, and DR.. Perkins, Wallace,
active members of the Presbyterian
church, were often oongregated there
together, Elder Alex Bierce and others,
planning and talking for the promotion
Of the cause of Christ.
The largest room on the second floor of
this county building was at the west end,
fronting on Court and TusCaTawas
streets. In this room for long time was
the Office and printing establishment of
the
STARK COUNTY DEMOCRAT
owned and published by our venerable
friend, Archibald McGregor. 1t was
while in this room and during our civil
war, that the office was raided, and very
much damaged, by parties to me un-
known: others may have the particulars,
have not. But / we'll remember that
there was great excitement because Of
such an act
About twenty-fonr years ago 1t was
found that new and larger courthouse
was demanded, and also other county
buildings, among which was new jail.
The old jail stood on South Cleveland
avenue on the lot where now stands the
residence Of S. S. Kurtz, southwest corner
Of Ninth street. Then II was decided TO
buy the two lots north of the old court
house lot, heretofore spoken OF, and build
the court house and jail on the same
block The proprietor of Canton, the late
Bazalel Wells, of Steubenville, had only
decided the one lot In said block for court
house purposes, thinking 1t ample for all
coming events, 80 that the other two had
to be obtained by purchase In the con-