As the workers began the restoration process, the Courthouse became a place of continual discoveries.  To get the Courthouse back to the way it was in 1859, the newer materials had to be torn away.  Through the years, it had been necessary to brick over widows to put in vaults to store the county's valuable records.   Doors were sealed off and new flooring installed, and the Courthouse changed over time to meet the needs of a changing society.  As the workers removed the changes, they began to uncover the past and bring to light a better understanding of what our Courthouse must have been like in the late 1800's.  

 

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On the left you see the brick veneer that covers the Courthouse.  The veneer is the outer layer of brick and it is different than the inner layers.  The veneer is usually a more expensive material and this technique lets the builder give the appearance of the higher quality material without having to use it through the entire wall.

The close-up on the right shows a wooden block in the place of some brick. This is a wood nailer.  Can you tell by the name what a wood nailed is?   Follow the link and find out if you are correct.

 

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When the ceiling tiles were removed in the tax office, the workers thought they would find plaster, but instead they found tongue and groove pine boards.

 

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With the flooring removed, the joists could be seen.  Notice on the right, the mortise and tenon joints. 

 

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Local historian Homar Jones, who died in 1998,  always said that there had been a whipping post in the old courtroom and she believed there would be evidence of it if we could see beneath the oak floor boards.  When the old boards were torn away, there in the original floor was the hole where the whipping post had been. This picture was taken on the first floor in what is now the hallway.  When the Courthouse was built the courtroom was on the first floor. It remained on the first floor for forty years before being moved upstairs.  (Go to Stories of the Courthouse for more information.)

 

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According to the architect, Ben Carter, one of the most surprising finds so far has been the original 10 inch heart pine floor boards in the upstairs courtroom.  They were found underneath oak flooring installed in 1925.   The flooring is two inches thick, but is not tongue and groove like everyone first thought.  Each board has a groove on both sides, but no tongue.  The boards are held together by an additional small piece of wood called a spline.

The picture shows the second floor courtroom after the theater styled seats and oak flooring were removed.

 

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This old leather shoe was discovered inside a wall underneath the spiral stairs in the Grand Hall of the Courthouse.  The shoe dates back to the 1800s and was given to the Polk County Historical Association.

Find out more about the Polk County Courthouse by clicking on the topics below.

Architecture History Interesting Finds The Restoration
Stories of the Courthouse Mysteries Glossary Activity Page