20th Anniversary Courthouse Story
January 2022
Over twenty years ago, a tenacious and resourceful group in Salem realized if they didn’t act, the stately county courthouse property in their village could deteriorate from lack of use and neglect once the new county courthouse complex (1994) and jail (2003) were completed in Ft Edward. Their first priority was to control the destiny of the buildings so that they could be preserved
Salem, in what is now Washington County, had been a county seat since 1779. The massive county, originally 8000 square miles, required a second seat, which was located in today’s Hudson Falls. This concept, known as a “half-shire”, was not unique at the time. A wooden frame courthouse and jail were constructed on Salem’s Main St in 1796, but by 1867 the Board of Supervisors deemed the buildings were beyond repair and a newly constructed courthouse was the only answer. By this time the county had been reduced to 850 square miles and a year of fierce debate followed as villages across the county lobbied to be the site of the coveted county seat and the accompanying physical structures. Salem’s new Supervisor, James Gibson, was instrumental in convincing the Board to locate the new courthouse in Salem. The beautiful brick and stone building was completed in 1869. On February 21, 1870, The Washington County Post published a description of the new edifice stating, “The whole structure is perfect in its appointments and reflects credit upon the skill of the architect and contractors…a Court House second to none in the state outside the metropolis”.”
In 2003, as in 1867, a difficult decision needed to be made about the Salem courthouse. In anticipation of the move to Ft Edward, the group in Salem had already formed The Historic Salem Courthouse Preservation Committee (HSCPA) in 2002. The Village of Salem Trustees did not want to take over the responsibility of the large historic structure and its outbuildings. In April of 2003 the HSCPA created a detailed report, which argued the value to the community of the historic courthouse. They presented a summary of the extensive fundraising, membership and grant development, research and organizational progress of their group. Once again citizens lobbying for Salem prevailed and it was agreed that the Town of Salem would take ownership of the property for $1 and the HSCPA would take on the responsibility of managing it, planning its restoration, securing the necessary funds and determining how the property would be used.
In preparation to state its case to the Town and County, and to create a strategic guide for moving ahead, the HSPCA received funding, through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to hire John G. Waite Associates of Albany. These consultants in historic restoration and adaptive re-use conducted a study of the courthouse complex to determine its existing condition and feasibility for restoration. The report opened with a summary including “the Old Washington County Courthouse is one of the most important historic public buildings in the region…contains one of the best preserved late-nineteenth century courtrooms in the entire state.” The architect, Marcus Cummings of Troy, would have been happy to hear that. The designer of many notable buildings in the Capital District and beyond, Cummings was the architect of courthouses in Plattsburgh and Troy as well as other municipal structures, churches, schools and privates residences. Many examples of his body of work enjoy National Register of Historic Places status.
This year is the 20th anniversary of HSCPA. Their vision to preserve the historical courthouse and create a center for the benefit of the community continues to be realized. Since 2002 the HSCPA has worked without break to procure funds for restoration, repairs and maintenance of the courthouse. Thanks to private donations and grants (NYS Environmental Protection Fund, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Legislative Grants and Dormitory Authority NYS, to name a few) over $1,000,000 have been raised. Work has been completed on the walls and ceiling of the Great Hall (the main downstairs corridor) and the front porch. The cornices, parts of the roof and the firestairs have also required repairs and updates. The original wooden front doors, which were found stashed in one of the barns, have been restored and rehung. The first floor windows have been replaced to more accurately reflect the original design and the restoration of the courtroom windows is almost complete. Although the twenty cuspidors, inventoried there in 1900 have not been replaced, all of the wooden benches in the courtroom have been fitted with comfortable cushions. The cost of building the courthouse, jailer’s residence, and barns in 1869 was $30,000. Private donations, starting in 2018 of $12,000 each, covered the cost of replacing one downstairs window at a time.
In the beginning, while HSCPA was applying for grants and studies were prepared, the community was surveyed in order to gather information about how they would like to see the courthouse campus used. Initially the group imagined renting offices to local businesses or organizations, but activity in the courthouse took on momentum early on and most of the space now is used by HSPCA for its own programs. In fact, although HSCPA is the official name of the stewarding organization, most people in Salem refer to the campus by the more apt, “Courthouse Community Center”. The survey responders asked for cultural events, adult classes, after school programs and, most remarkably, an indoor swimming pool. Although the swimming pool was deemed not feasible, the Community Center has come through in full with other requests. Programs today offer a variety of options, which appeal to a wide range of interests.
The 1869 jailer’s residence is now “The Shoppe Off Broadway”, a thrift store managed by a dedicated committee. The Shoppe offers affordable clothes and household items and gives the proceeds back to the community in the form of donations, grants and scholarships. To date the Shoppe has donated over $283,000.
One of the barns is now the “Youth Barn”, dedicated to the Lunch, Learn and Play (LL&P) program. LL&P is a free five-week program offered each summer to Salem students entering Kindergarten through 9th grade. Last season 170 kids participated in this popular day camp, which provides lunch and a rich learning experience. Each grade group has a carefully designed curriculum based around a theme. Last year 7th-9th graders participated in a theater camp in the morning and mountain biking in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Kindergarteners were focusing on nature study. The Shoppe has given $10,000 a year to LL&P, the school hosts lunch, Fort Salem Theater, SAW, Merck Forest and others participate to make the program a true community collaboration.
The jail kitchen is now “The Battenkill Kitchen”, a licensed commercial kitchen, used by food entrepreneurs who pay fees in exchange for its use. The Great Hall makes a beautiful gallery for rotating exhibits by local artists and the courtroom itself is a lovely venue for concerts and meetings. The community garden just beyond the barns, offers plots to rent, provides produce to the food pantry, helps feed the LL&P kids and offers an array of educational opportunities. The Town of Salem archives and office of the historian are housed in one of the larger areas downstairs.
When construction was completed in 1869, the people of Salem invited the Board of Supervisors to a celebratory dinner in the new courthouse. The tradition of celebrating over a meal there has continued since 2003, when the first Al Fresco Dinner was held on the courthouse lawn. The popular event brings the community together to celebrate the agricultural and artistic bounty of the area while raising funds for programming. A newer annual fundraising event, “Beer and Brats”, assembles a multi-generational crowd for craft beer tasting, live music, outdoor games and dinner.
Marcus Cummings designed a beautiful building in 1870 for the Schenectady County Clerk’s office. It featured vaulted ceilings, frescoes and an exterior much like his Salem courthouse. Sadly, it has been razed to make space for a parking lot.
Fortunately, when the Salem courthouse was facing an unknown future, the HSCPA, responding with speed and determination, secured the backing of their community and saved the historic building. Now the people of the region look forward to enjoying its beauty, and its indispensable use as a community center, for years ahead.
