On February 18, 1850 the California legislature established
Tuolumne County as one of
California’s original 27 counties, and on May 1, 1851
incorporated the city of Sonora. Sonora
remains the County Seat and is the only incorporated city in the County.
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Built in 1853
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The first Tuolumne County Courthouse was constructed of wood
in 1853. It was a two-story structure that faced Green Street between Jackson
Street and Yaney Avenue. It was on the same lot occupied by the
present courthouse.
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Yaney business, left, on N. Washington Street, Sonora
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Sonora's downtown business owners wanted the building
erected in that section, but uptown brothers and merchants Israel P. Yaney and
John Yaney pushed to have it built farther north. Together with William G.
Heslep and Peter O. Bertine, they made five lots and a portion of two
additional lots available to the county on such reasonable terms that the
matter was settled. However, until then, a bitter battle raged in the various
newspapers in circulation at the time in Tuolumne County about where the
location of the new courthouse should be built.
Water to this
building was furnished through one single faucet from which containers were
filled for use in the various courthouse offices. On court days a bucket of
fresh water was placed by the courtroom door with a long-handled dipper hanging
conveniently nearby for community use. Other “amenities” included spittoons for
the interior rooms and outside privies. Electric lights were not installed
until 1892 when the City of Sonora was electrified.
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First courthouse built 1853
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The first courthouse remained occupied until 1898, By then, an
economic resurgence occurred due to the “Second Gold Rush” which began in the
early 1890's as hard rock mining developed. It soon became evident that the old
building was no longer adequate for the county's needs. Not only was there a
need for new county government facilities, but also the tax base needed to be increased
to finance the improvements.
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Last day at the old Tuolumne County courthouse
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On August 14, 1897, the Board of Supervisors adopted a
resolution that the old courthouse was "…in a dilapidated and unsafe
condition, its vaults in which the records of the county are kept are wholly
inadequate for the necessities and demands of the county." The resolution directed
the Board's clerk to advertise for the submission of detailed plans and
specifications for a brick and stone courthouse "to be erected at a cost
not to exceed forty thousand dollars on the present courthouse site in the City
of Sonora."
After several days of examining plans and specifications
submitted by ten architects, two deadlock ballots, and an extended session, on
January 6, 1898, the Board of Supervisors selected the San Francisco firm of
William Mooser & Son by a 3-2 vote.
In 1898 the county tore down the old courthouse. The new
courthouse was built on the same site. The difference was, the building no
longer faced Green Street like the original courthouse. It was
originally designed to face east towards Washington Street, Sonora's main
thoroughfare. Pressure was brought upon the County Board of Supervisors by
one
of the county's most affluent citizens, lumber baron, Samuel S. Bradford, who
resided across from the site on Yaney Avenue to the north. He did not want to look outside
of his windows and see the side of the courthouse. He
succeeded in having the plans altered so the structure faced his home.
Instead,
the side of the courthouse is seen from Washington Street, the main road
through Sonora. Bradford’s home is no longer there, but the courthouse still
faces north instead of North Washington Street.
A Union Democrat article published on January 15, 1898,
reported, "The plan of the first floor is that the main entrance shall
face to the north, with another place of ingress and egress on the south. All
architects concur with Mr. Mooser that this is the true position for the main
entrance, as it then comes to a street level and the surrounding view thereby
afforded includes some of the handsomest buildings in town. . .".
The final plans from William Mooser & Son were
officially adopted on April 5, 1898, with the understanding that the courthouse
would be a fireproof building, with fire hoses on each floor.
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Courthouse workers, courtesy of the City of Sonora
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On May 21, 1898, the courthouse construction contract was
awarded to the low bidder, Charles F. McCarthy. The contract called for the old
courthouse to be removed and the site ready for the contractor to begin work by
July 20, 1898. The various county officers, their records, and furnishings were
located throughout the downtown area.
In mid-June, the old courthouse was auctioned off in three
sections. Only about 50 people attended. The northern addition erected in 1891
was sold for $26.00, and the older addition on the south went for only $5.00.
The original courthouse had been purchased by the contractor for $50.00.
Some sources claim the new courthouse was built in the Romanesque
style. Others call it Spanish Revival style resembling the old missions of
California.
The total cost of the new courthouse, including electrical
work, painting, heating, ventilating, vaults, and new matching furnishings came
to $100,843.00. While this sum was over budget, it is significantly less than
the cost for such a structure today.
The cornerstone of the courthouse was dedicated on September
28, 1898, with approximately 500 spectators present in the midst of a drenching
rainstorm. The formal dedication ceremonies were conducted by the Tuolumne
Lodge No. 8, F. & A. M., and orator of the day, attorney Frank D. Nicol.
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| photo courtesy of
California State Library |
During the following year, a three-story building was
erected of steel, concrete, and brick. The foundation of the courthouse
required 500 barrels of cement, 300 wagon loads of gravel, and 150 loads of
sand. It was estimated that 800,000 common red bricks were used during
construction. They were made by the San Joaquin Brick Company, which erected a
manufacturing plant where suitable clay had been found on the Charles Brusie
ranch in Sonora. The hallways were laid with imported tile, the interior walls
faced with fine local Columbia marble, and the open staircases were built with
ornate iron railings. The exterior was finished off with eighty-five thousand yellow
Roman pressed brick and sandstone from Colusa County.
Mosaic tile was laid in the grand entry, and in the hallway
of the second floor. It is the same tile you see today. These were said to have
come from Holland, although research casts some doubt on that. The marble
wainscoting and steps that you see in the halls of the courthouse was quarried
near Columbia.
This new courthouse featured several modern conveniences of
the turn of the century. (I wonder if that means the bucket of drinking water
and handy communal dipper were upgraded at that time.) It was designed to have
an elevator, but the elevator was never installed. Instead, people must climb forty-eight
steps to reach the third floor.
The Seth Thomas clock was installed in June, 1899. The bell
weighs 1000 pounds and the weights attached to the bell weigh 1300 pounds. The
remainder of the clock works was proportionately heavy. The clock was started
to keep time at 5:00 p.m. on June 22, 1899. The Union Democrat reported that
the bell could be heard at a considerable distance. Throughout the years, the
accuracy of the clock has been a topic among residents in the downtown area,
and remains so today. In the early 1930's, the weights and crank were replaced
with electricity.
The lower floor of the courthouse originally housed the
Sheriff's Office, Superintendent of Schools, and the boiler room that
originally housed a steam boiler. The second and third floors of the courthouse
originally housed the Offices of the Treasurer, Clerk, Assessor, District
Attorney, Judge's chambers, law library, the Superior Courtroom, and the County
Supervisors' Chambers.
A large room at the southeast corner of the lower level was
not designated for any immediate purpose, and patent steel roller shutters were
installed upon its four windows for protection. When the Tuolumne County High
School District was formed in 1902, the first classes were held in that room
for four years until they were moved to the newly constructed high school on
Shaws Flat Road in 1906.
In the evening on Thanksgiving, November 30, 1899, all of
the 232 electric lights in the courthouse were turned on at once, and many
local residents came to witness the event.
The contractor and Board of Supervisors declared the
courthouse to be fully completed and the work was accepted on July 23, 1900.
On January 1, 1981, the courthouse was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. Accordingly, regulations must be strictly
adhered to in order to preserve the historic value of the building when
considering repairs or improvements. The courthouse remains in use.
I was fortunate in that my last day trip before the Covid-19 pandemic hit was one to Sonora. I took several photos and was able to learn more about this county's history. As for my recent book, this courthouse plays a role in both Cole which is part of the Cupids and Cowboys series, and A Lawyer for Linton which will be released later this month. Because both stories are set before 1898, the courthouse referred to would have been the old one.
Most of Cole is set in Stanislaus County to the west of Tuolumne County. However, after he buys ranch land in Tuolumne County, this is the courthouse where he would have recorded his deed and registered his cattle brand. To find this book's description and purchase link, please CLICK HERE.
In A Lawyer for Linton, After graduating from law school, Samantha travels to Sonora in 1885 to apply for a law partnership offer. The old courthouse is where she'll get her first courtroom experience. This book is still on preorder. To find the story description and link, please CLICK HERE.
Sources:
http://www.historichwy49.com/sonora/sonhist.html
https://tuolumne.courts.ca.gov/general-info/courthouse-history.shtml
(The
information in this source was taken from two articles written by County
Historian, Carlo M. De Ferrari, in Vol. 39, No. 1, July-Sept., 1999, and Vol.
39, No. 2, Oct.-Dec., 1999 of CHIPSA, the Quarterly of the Tuolumne County
Historical Society. )
https://www.sonoraca.com/visit-sonora/sonora-california-history/short-history/
https://www.sonoraca.com/visit-sonora/sonora-california-history/sonora-ca-historic-landmarks/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuolumne_County_Superior_Court
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