Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-09-17

a relation with the wisest of men. And
when I perceived this trifling with
great name, I thought of Shakespeare
line ITO what base use we may re-
turn
Change in 1857
In 1867, for some reason which is
not clear to us now, change was
made, and thence until 1871 the
courthouse stood on the Parade,
little west of the present Neptune
building. Close to the waters edge
on this then fort space, stood the COM
mon Jail; and off to the southwest
was that other emblem of civilization
the gruesome gallows tree.
What this courthouse was, whether
1T was a newly constructed building or
one carried there from the former
site, we do not know. Ny own opin-
ion is that it was moved there-prob-
ably in sections. Moving wooden
buildings has not been an unknown in
dustry in New London, even in our
day. And the colonsts were Injured to
ha bits of economy
I need hardly say that this court
house was destroyed during the in
vasion by Arnold, with other public
and private buildings, in that Valhalla
of war which spread woe and desc
lation throughout this region; and
for three years thereafter the courts
of this county were without home.
But in 1774 while Richard Law was
mayor, committee was appointed to
provide a new building. The county
court naturally selected the old Pa
rade site. but many objected that it
would some time be wanted for COM
merCial purposes; and eventually the
new courthouse was located at the
head of this street, on the site of the
first district schoolhouse, with some
additional land procured from Joseph
Colt And for 50 years the building
stood out here. in what would be now
the middle of the street, opposite,
though at that time there was no street
TO the south, and Broad street, as we
know it, did not exist. In 1899, at the
suggestion of Major t. w. Williams,
(new streets having been opened all
around it,. the building was moved
upon the present site. on land of Mr.
Williams, and here it has remained
for II years.
This courthouse of course has a ju
dicial as well as a material history
But the noted causes that have been
heard here. and the distinguished
men who figured in them, would make
a story longer than | tell. Perhaps
the argument of Patrick Henry against
the Tory Hook is enough to give II
lasting fame.
Had a Gallery.
The courtroom in this building was
original provided with a gallery on
three sides. as an extra accommodation
to the public. But as interest in legal
proceedings declined, and other halls
were built for public use this gallery
was removed The present altera ton
has somewhat curtailed the space de-
signed for the general public. although
L have no doubt that what remains
will be ample. But if curiosity as to
what is done in our courts continues
to diminish in the next alteration this
space for the curious public may dwin-
die to an Amen corner" TO some
of US this decay of judicial sentiment
is not a cheerful sign.
But though interest in judicial pro-
ceedings may have waned, the cit
liens of New London have never lost
affection for the courthouse itself
Through all vicissitudes they have
chung to it with a tenacity which, at
times, has seemed pathetic. [ confess
that for years l did not know the
reason why. There was nothing i'm
posing or picturesque about the old
building. Miss CaIkins, the historian,
writing as early as 1854 called it
commonplace and generally regarded
as an unsightly blot distiguring the
neighborhood where it stands But
continued agitation has brought d
more intimate knowledge of its early
history And though my views have
not changed Is to a more enduring
edifce, I have come to understand
more clearly the cause of this devo-
ton to an ancient relic.
In the first place, there is a COM
munity of interest. The building Of
this courthouse was contemporaneous
with the Incorporation of the city,
and thus, starting out together, they
have kept an even pace and shared
common destiny.
In the second place are It's cher
fshed and hallowed associations. This
courthouse is a connecting link with
the great historic past It reaches
back to the men conspicuous in the
great Revolutionary drama. The men
concerned in it's building had shared
the sufferings and the privations of
the seven years war. Some of them
had stood at Concord and Lexington
and on the slopes of Bunker Hill They
lived to see the British flag hauled
down and in its place, above the dome
OF new nation, the stars and stripes
appear. They saw the rise of cOnsti-
tutional government. They saw the
nation expand and grow. westward,
and the stars of added states burst into
blossom on their country's flag.
Here, also are the cherished legal
memories. of interest to the lawyer
and the citizen as well. Great lawyers
here have pressed their suits to final
issue, and great jurists have uttered
their opinions and pronounced their
crude temples of justice all over the
union that the foundation was made
for a Jurisprudence that has become
distinctively American, and which. in
time, will supplant the cumbersome
system even of continental Europe
In my childhood it was the habit of
lawyers to quote from the common
law of England. Now the English Re
ports are hardly cited more often than
the Code Napoleon, or the Pandects of
Justinian in that Rome that crumbled
long ago.
Nor is that all. Consummate states
men have here discussed the science
of government. And great orators
have electrified the people of their
time. Here Patrick Henry charmed
with his eloquence in jury trials. and
Daniel Webster defended the constitu-
ton of the United States.
A center of social festivities, here
the citizens of New London greeted
for the last time the gallant Decatur
in the war of 1872. And later on, they
voiced their enthusiastic welcome to
General Lafayette.
In the Civil war this building was
a center of patriotic devotion, conse-
Grated to the living and the dead. 1
Always Revered the Old.
They who wished a new courthouse i
have never lacked reverence for the
old And today we share in whatso-
ever pride there is in this completed |
work. We congratulate the commits
sioners for what they have done-for