The Ocala banner., 1906-10-19

tional number 3, OF section IL, o
township Is south, of range % east
containing 200 acres of land. for /;
county site, to be known by tn,
name of Ocala. The old survey o
Ocala was made and plated by Davit
Bruton. county surveyor.
AT a regular meeting Of the boars
of county commissioners, held at Ft
King, April 27. 1s46. block No. 81
upon which is located the First Meth
odist church Of ocala, was selected
to build a temporary court house upon
and Commissioners Abraham Geigel
and Thomas Barnes were appoited a!
a building committee, with power tC
act. The size Of the building wa:
to be 2Ox2S feet, built of logs, othel
details being specified. among which
was that the hinges for doors and
windows should be Of iron. The con
tract to build the court house was
awarded to James Caruthers at the
Il
sum of $225.00.
n the 9Th day Of October, 1S46
the contract to do the inside work
of the court house, consisting of q
judges stand, tables, jury benches
etc., was awarded to James Carruth
ers, at the sum of $4,000. Also a
contract on that day to build jury
rooms out of logs, 24x14 feet in the
clear, petition across the center. door
in each end, etc., to be built on the
court house lot was awarded TO James
Ellis, at the sum of $4,000.
In due time these buildings were
completed and accepted by the
county commissioners.
The board of county commissioners
held their first meeting, which by
them was styled "The Court" in the
new court house In Ocala, September
II, 1916. Present, John M. Mcintosh,
judge of probate. and ex-officio presi-
dent and clerk of the board; Abra-
ham Geiger, John Morrison and s. F.
Halliday, commissioners.
At regular meeting of the board
|of county commissioners held In
Ocala, March s. 1S4S. c. A. NJ. Mitch
ell, esq.,, presented to the board a
subscription signed by several per-
sons obligating themselves to pay, or
contribute, five or six hundred dollars
towards building suitable and sub
stantial court house. Flo also pre-
sented petition signed by number
of citizens. petitioning the board to
have such court house built; where
upon the board took action In
accordance with said petition. re-
sulting in awarding the contract to
build the new court nonse on the
public square of Ocala, according to
plans and specifications that had
been adopted, but not entered In the
minutes. to j. A. Barber. at the sum
of $4,000. September 8. 1850.
A popularity in awaiting this con-
tract was. all sealed bids were reject
ed as being too high, and the board
let out the contract then and there
by public auction to the lowest bid
der, resulting in a saving of $4,000 to
the tax payers.
The building was completed and re-
ceIved by the county commissioners
December 1881. This building, as
to size, architecture. and finish, heing
very familiar to most of our people.
and no plans and specifications of it
being accessible, will not attempt to
describe it in detail. 1t was a frame
building out Of lumber, neatly painted
outside, and plastered inside, with a
stairway going up to the court room
outside OF the east end, having corri-
dors ON the ground floor east and
.west. and north and south through
the center of the building. This
court house was used as such for
thirty odd years, during TINS time
such learned jurist as Judges For
ward. Putnam, Goss. Dawkins, King,
and Finley held the scales of justice
in equal poise; the bar of the court
being occupied by many Of the most
learned and eloquent barristers Of
the land This building, some eigh-
teen years ago was replaced by sub
sta. tial brick building, at a cost of
s15,60O00, but was too small 70 ac-
comodate the officers of the county
and did not afford protection for i'm
portant public records. and was de-
icient in architecture from start to
finish. That building is now being
eplaced by this magnificent temple
of justice, which is modern and
lp-tn date in it's architecture in all
of Its departments, and affords an Of,
dee for each county officer, jury
rooms and waiting rooms, etc., and
suitable offices for the judge of the
fifth judicial circuit court of Florida
i-d states attorney.