SIDNEY — Shelby Countians will honor their architectural crown jewel, the Shelby County courthouse, Sunday, during a celebration of the building’s 135th anniversary and its recent renovations.
From 2 to 5 p.m., there will be free ice cream and cookies on the courtsquare, a Sidney Civic Band concert, and costumed living history characters to give tours of the grand lady of Shelby County buildings.
In addition, the Shelby County Historical Society will have an exhibit inside the courthouse of items that have figured in the building’s history. Among them will be two chairs that were used in the 1883 courtroom, a common pleas court rule book from 1951, a print of a watercolor painting of the courthouse, a panoramic photo from the early 1900s, warrants and deeds from the late 1800s, a letter from 1890, law books from 1878 and postcards.
While not all the details of the event were established by press time, the band concert has been scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
The Shelby County Dairy Boosters will serve chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. As a tip of the hat to Shelby County’s agricultural heritage, there will also be sweet corn ice cream available until it runs out.
Fair Haven will supply cookies.
Historical society volunteers will talk to visitors about courtrooms that will be open on each floor: the grand jury room on the first floor, the juvenile/probate courtroom on the second floor and the common pleas courtroom on the third floor.
The first 300 people who attend will be able to take home stretched penny souvenirs.
Commissioner Julie Ehemann will speak during opening ceremonies. A video of the renovation process, photographed by Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Gillman, will run on a continous loop.
For the first time in years, people will have the option of entering the courthouse on the first or second floor.
“Folks will be able to go up any steps (on the outside) and into the big wooden doors into the courthouse. That puts you on the second level,” said Commissioner Tony Bornhorst. “Nobody’s been able to do that for quite some time.” The elevator will be operational, too, for people who don’t want to climb stairs.
The first courthouse was built in Sidney in 1822, three years after the county was formed in a split-off from Miami County. The second courthouse was opened in 1833 and served until the current building was completed in 1883. Its cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1881, making this the 135th anniversary. The building cost $200,000 to construct.
A $4.8 million renovation project began in November 2014. It put new windows, ground-level doors, fire alarm and HVAC systems and lighting inside the building and new roofs over the exterior entryways. Exterior doorways, stairways and columns were repaired and weatherized. In an additional work order, sidewalks were replaced, some repair work was done to the west portico, and interior hallways were painted.
In honor of the anniversary, a Norway maple tree has been planted on the northwest corner of the courtsquare.
“The courthouse has been here and been the center of the county for 135 years and with improvements, it should be here for some tme to come,” Bornhorst said. “I’m proud we have a building that’s the center of the community.”
Energy Systems Group, of Oregon, Ohio, the general contractor of the renovations, is the sponsor of the celebratory event. No county money is being spent on the celebration.
