First Court House Meeting
On Monday, December 10th, 1821, William Layton, William Woodyard, Samuel Simpson, P.B. Hume, H. Withers, and Matthew Henderson, Justices of the Peace of Grant County, met in the newly constructed Grant County Court House for the very first time. The Court House was a two-story brick building which was completed in “a good workman-like manner equal and similar to the Court House in Falmouth.”
While the County Justices were waiting on the Court House to be built, they had their meetings and conducted Court first at the house of Henry Childers, but soon moved their Court to the house of William Arnold, the County Sheriff, who donated the land for which to build the new Public Square.
Over a year earlier, on Monday June 10th, 1820, while the Justices of the Peace conducted Court at the house of William Arnold, Justices William Layton, Samuel Simpson, Nathaniel Henderson, and William Woodyard were chosen to oversee the planning and construction of the new Court House. However, after several months of work, the Justices resigned their commission of the building of the Court House and other men were appointed to finish the job. However, we later learn that the men who took on the responsibilities had “neglected to attend the business,” and were soon fired from their roles. Thus, William Arnold was then appointed to take on the construction, which he ultimately completed for the cost of $2,199.
Finally, at long last, and after many County Court Meetings at William Arnold's House, on Monday, December 10, 1821, the Justices of the Peace met for Court at the house of William Arnold, who then asked the Court to accept the newly constructed Court House in which he had built. The Justices happily agreed.
The men got on their horses or in their wagons and quickly went south to the Court House. Once all the Justices were in the second floor courtroom, the meeting resumed, and the transition period was over.
Notes:
1. The first Court House was designed like the Court House in Falmouth, Pendleton County, because the Justices and others would have been familiar with it, as a few of them were Justices of the Peace in Pendleton County before Grant County was founded.
2. William Arnold's house was located on High Street, in Williamstown during this time.
3. The House of Henry Childers, where the first ever Court took place, was located near the entrance of Hogan's Mill, Dry Ridge.
3. The first Court House served until 1856, when it was torn down for the construction of the second one.