Glossary

Glossary

antebellum	before the Civil War
beam	a long thick piece of wood, metal or stone used in building. Originally a beam was a squared off tree. This is exactly what you see in the construction of the Courthouse
capitals	the top part of a column or pilaster
cast bronze	something made by pouring the metal, bronze, into a mold. The courthouse bell is cast bronze.
Early Italianate	A style of architecture that is based on Italian Renaissance architecture.
external	outside
Greek Revival	A style of architecture hat uses columns, capitals, and low triangular gabled pediments to make the building look like a Greek Temple.
hand hewn	shaped or cut with an ax, knife or chisel
hoist	to lift
joists	parallel wooden boards that hold up the planks of a floor or the laths of a ceiling
molded	a shaped strip of wood, stone, or brick used as decoration. The pilasters have molded capitals.
mortar	the mixture of cement or lime with sand and water used between bricks or stones in building to hold them together
mortise and tenon	a way to join two beams or boards by cutting a hole or recess in one (call the mortise) and making a projecting part in the other board (called the tenon).
pilasters	square or round columns that are attached to the wall
pencilling	using a fine brush to paint lines on the mortar between bricks to make the bricks appear straighter
recessed	set back. The porch or portico on the courthouse is set back into the front of the building instead of coming out from the building.
restoration	to bring something back to an earlier condition
six over six windows	windows are named by the number of panes on the top and bottom. A six over six window has six panes on the top and six on the bottom.
tapered	becoming smaller gradually toward one end
vertical	going up and down
water table	an extra layer of brick two or three feet high at the base of a building that sheds water away from the foundation. This helps to keep water from rotting the wood used in the foundation.
wood nailer	a piece of wood that would be inserted into a brick wall to make a place for nailing the wood for door and window frames

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

antebellum

before the Civil War

a long thick piece of wood, metal or stone used in building. Originally a beam was a squared off tree. This is exactly what you see in the construction of the Courthouse

the top part of a column or pilaster

something made by pouring the metal, bronze, into a mold. The courthouse bell is cast bronze.

A style of architecture that is based on Italian Renaissance architecture.

outside

A style of architecture hat uses columns, capitals, and low triangular gabled pediments to make the building look like a Greek Temple.

shaped or cut with an ax, knife or chisel

to lift

parallel wooden boards that hold up the planks of a floor or the laths of a ceiling

a shaped strip of wood, stone, or brick used as decoration. The pilasters have molded capitals.

the mixture of cement or lime with sand and water used between bricks or stones in building to hold them together

a way to join two beams or boards by cutting a hole or recess in one (call the mortise) and making a projecting part in the other board (called the tenon).

square or round columns that are attached to the wall

using a fine brush to paint lines on the mortar between bricks to make the bricks appear straighter

set back. The porch or portico on the courthouse is set back into the front of the building instead of coming out from the building.

to bring something back to an earlier condition

windows are named by the number of panes on the top and bottom. A six over six window has six panes on the top and six on the bottom.

becoming smaller gradually toward one end

vertical

going up and down

an extra layer of brick two or three feet high at the base of a building that sheds water away from the foundation. This helps to keep water from rotting the wood used in the foundation.

a piece of wood that would be inserted into a brick wall to make a place for nailing the wood for door and window frames