The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Preserving history
After years of renovations, courthouse opens its doors to the public
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. >> Festivities and history abounded at the Madison County Courthouse as the county marked the end of renovations on the 100-year-old structure and the welcomed in another 100.
“It doesn’t even look like the same place. I’m astounded by what they’ve done,” said Carol Musgrov, of Sherrill. “I had to go to the front door so I could try and get oriented.”
On Saturday, the community gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Madison County Courthouse and its completed renovations with food, music, vendors and tours through the courthouse.
Musgrov was among hundreds
of others passing through the courthouse and seeing just what had been done during the two years of renovations. She retired around 13 years ago after working 23 years in the Clerk’s Office for Family and Surrogate Court. After a little navigating, Musgrov traced along the floor where her office and the original counter were.
The Madison County Courthouse started renovations in 2016 to make it ADA compliant. Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Becker said when talk for renovations originally started, county leaders debated making one of the courtrooms handicap accessible or the whole courthouse. All throughout, from the original doorknobs and doors to choices in the paint were all considered to keep the history of the courthouse alive and ready for the next 100 years.
“I think history is important,” Musgrov said. “I’m so glad to see all of the marble and Lady Justice here. Isabell Bracey, the previous Madison County historian, she passed away quite a few years ago and she wanted Lady Justice put in the courthouse. She wanted it restored and was instrumental in getting the word out.”
Students from Oneida High School dressed up as historical figures from the courthouse’s history and explained how the courthouse came to be to visitors.
Eleventh-grader Thomas Smolen and 10th-grader Justin Marji both took on the role of Hamilton Beecher Peckham, the construction foreman of the Madison County Courthouse.
“We learned a lot about his [Peckham] involvement with the courthouse construction and how it was an arduous process,” Smolen said. “It took a long time to build and we got notes from his journal, dating back to the late 19th-, early-20th century. Each day seemed to have its own trials and tribulations. There were setbacks and there were issues.”
Both students learned how the construction team dealt with Central New York weather at the time, the cost of unskilled and skilled labor, and howmuch it all cost. Themost surprising thing learned, Marji said, was the Dutch influence in the architecture. “I didn’t think that’d be the case,” Marji said.
Sean Gustin, of Sherrill, took a tour of the courthouse with his father Fred. He had never been inside the courthouse before, but getting a look for the first time surprised him. It was a lot bigger than Sean had expected it to be and said the architecture was amazing.
“There’s too much new stuff going on, so you need a foundation of this area,” Sean said. “Preserving history benefits the community and the kids growing up.”