The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-05-06
Historic Mount Holly
THE COUNTY BUILDINGS


bell and hanging not to exceed 20
pounds They failed to make good. 40
May %, 1874, Richard Smith, Jr., Thos.
Shreye and Solomon Smith were an
pointed to purchase the same at the
cheapest rate they can. They made
good at cost of % pounds, Is shil-
lIngs, pence. This bell in 1872 "beine
in bad condition, being broken so
that it is rendered useless" commit
tee OF five 81 was appointed four fell
low townsman Zachariah Rossell being
one) Ito inspect bell now sent for
from New York with power to pur.
chase. which they did at a cost of %
pounds, 10 shillings. Another Bell
hanging that attracted much attention
in 1888 was the hanging of NEGRO
Wench Bell convicted in February
Term of Murder" 1.-The "TryaIp and
hanging Of this Bell cost the county
~ pounds, shillings, which amount
the County Collector is ordered to
pay to Joseph Mullen, ESQ.,, High
Sheriff OF Burlington County" AS
the present (l9l9) bell has cast on. it
l755, it is very evident that it was the
one bought in 1772, which makes it
l64 years old. These dates may be
confusing to anyone who notices 1895
on the front of the court house. The
answer is that originally Burlington
was the county seat. After wears NJ
protesting by those who lived back
from the river, about having to travel
80 far, vote was taken and Mount
Holly won over Burlington and Colum.
bus BLACK Horse). This was in 1895
The first court house that l know of
was built in 1890 by Francis Collins.
for which he received 100 pounds and o
tract OF land. The contracting car
penter for 1896 court house was Michael
Rush. He lived on Mill street and
died March Is, 1907, aged As. 1 under.
stand that this building had galleries
on the north and south sides and the
entrance to the room was on a line
with the front door, where the window
now is. In 1907 the Surrogate's Office
to the north and the Clerks office to
the south were built. After the en-
larged Clerks Office was built the Sur
rogate took the south Office and the
County Collector took the north one.
| expect that when the 1890 court
house was built Jail was combined
with it. ] also assume that there was
sort OF lookup covering the time
between 1877 and 1890. The 1890 court
house was of brick and stood at the
of High and Broad streets.
Burlington. In 1865 they decided to
build a new gaol 40x36, lower story to |
be s and the upper story to be 7 feet
high. They purchased land corner
Broad and York streets of Daniel Ellis |
for 80 pounds, and ordered an assess
ment of 800 pounds for the building
This lot was afterwards deemed in
sufficient and another bought Sin a
more public part of the City," 'front.' |
ing on Broad street 155 feet at the rate
Of II shilllngs per foot, amounting to
% pounds This building to be 40
foot square and the prison yard to be
Of sufficient biggness and height"
This lot was found to contain 1856 feet
and was purchased for log pounds, IL
shillings. Joseph Mullen Qater Sher-
lff) was one of the managers for the
of this gaol. Among the
items in his settlement was lone shil
ling for quart of rum to treat the
hands who assisted in getting up the
large stone, and another for - shil--l
lings for quarts of rum to treat the
People who assisted in getting up the
Timber on the Wall" In our time
such items would be camoufiaged as |
'incidentals. The building of the
jail at Mount Holly did not immediate
ly follow the 1886 court house. Capt.
Charles Bennett claimed that his
father built it in 18OS-my impression
was that 1T was built about 1870 but |
this | do know the following advertise
ment appeared under date of Burling-
ton, March Z, 1911:
To be sold, at Public Vendue
On Monday, the 9Th of April, next
on the Premises
large and commodious
Stone Building
situate on the south side of Broad |
Street in the city of Burlington, at
present occupied as the Publick Gaol; |
together with the lot of land on which i
the same is erected. The lot is one
hundred and eighty six feet on Broad
street, and seventy-seven on Library
street. There is stone wall built |
nearly round the whole extent of said
lot, eighteen feet high. The property
will be sold altogether or in lots to suit
purchasers The Vendue to begin at
IL O'Clock on said day. Attendance
will be given and tina conditions made
known by
9 Charles Ellis,
Amos Hutchin,
Charles Hancock,
Commissioners.
The land on which the present Jail
is built was bought from Zachariah
Rossell in 1907 for 210 pounds. Grant
street was taken from it in 1864. The
pump in front Of the court house was
taken out and the we'll filed up in the
fall of 1854.