By Susan L. Conklin, County Historian
In 1802 the first courthouse west of the Genesee River was under construction. It was financed by the Holland Land Company and was presented to Genesee County free of expense, together with the Courthouse park. Isaac Sutherland and Samuel Geer were the architects and it took three days to raise the heavy oak timbers that were used for the frame. The first session of court was held in the spring of 1803. It was located on the present site of County Building No. 1 and the front of the building faced east onto Court Street (hence the name for that street). This building contained the court room, jail, county offices, and a tavern. [ Just think, you could become intoxicated, appear before the judge, and be incarcerated without ever leaving the building. Now that was Planning!] The tavern closed in 1820 and was taken over as the sheriff's residence.
The New York State Legislature passed an act that provided for the construction of a new courthouse in Genesee County on May 14, 1840. The first Courthouse was replaced in 1843 when the court was held in the new facility. About 1849 the old courthouse was turned over to the Town of Batavia and become known as Ellicott Hall, named in honor of Joseph Ellicott. It was used for town board meetings, the city's department of public works, and public meetings until it was destroyed by a fire on February 5, 1918. At the time of the fire it was 14 degrees below zero and the fire supposedly was caused by an overheated furnace. Ironically the Fire Headquarters were located next door to this building but nothing could have saved the oldest building in Batavia.
The Courthouse located at the junction of Main and Ellicott Streets is an architectural focal point for downtown Batavia. It is constructed from gray cut Onondaga limestone which was quarried from Consider Warner's farm located in the Town of LeRoy. Each facade of this Greek Revival building is five bays wide. Originally six heavy stone pilasters framed an open porch which ran the length of the front. In 1931 this area was renovated for additional office space and the center bay front entrance was created. The hip roof is constructed of slate and copper and supports a two-tiered wooden cupola that houses a brass bell. The bell was first hung in Ellicott Hall and was rung whenever a verdict was reached. The last verdict it rang for was in 1988 at the Lyndon Goodell trial.
This bell has an interesting history of its own. When Ellicott Hall was completed, the Holland Land Company neglected to hang a bell in the cupola before making the presentation to the County. An early settler named Davis McCraken thought this to be a great oversight and took it upon himself to write to a foundry in New Haven, Connecticut and ordered a bell. Mr. McCraken was noted for his wealth as well as sense of humor. He had the bell shipped into town during the night and hung it on a pole between two trees. Then about 4:00 a.m. he rang it vigorously. Every inhabitant was aroused and from the youngest to the oldest they left their beds to witness this event. Joseph Ellicott reportedly was one of the first to arrive and immediately asked if the bell was for sale. He was informed that it was and before sunset that night it hung in the belfry of Ellicott Hall. This bell survived the fire of 1918 and has hung in the courthouse ever since.
During the Records Management archival project the Claims for Payments were organized and in these records are reports to the Board of Supervisors on the construction of the courthouse. A report from 1843 stated " As this sum somewhat exceeds the original estimates of the costs of said house and will necessarily impose a considerable burden of taxes upon the inhabitants of this county your committee feel bound to give as thorough an expose of the whole expenditure as they can . . . " This report details building cost and a few highlights include: pillars for $700, mason work by Elias Pelton for $2,888.39, Consider Warner was paid $1,634.42 for cut stone, John Kinyan was paid $246.35 for iron and blacksmithery, and the chairs cost $102. The original windows had a dozen small panes of glass each and the cornice was decorated with an ornamental border. Through the years repairs and renovations have changed the exterior and the fancy trimmings have been removed.
Possibly the most expensive trial for the county took place in the Courthouse one hundred years ago. A Daily News article on August 24, 1897 stated "COUNTY TREASURY EMPTY - Less than $8 on hand . . . " The actual figure was $7.62 and was the result of the Benham murder trial. Court fees for this trial ran high and examples included paying the court stenographer $1,800 and an extra allowance of $50 to each of the jurors. The details on Benham will have to wait for another time but be assured all ended well for the County. Once the taxes were collected there was plenty of money restored to the treasury.
On June 18, 1974, the Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is included in the Genesee County Courthouse Historic District. When the new court facility opened the courthouse become the home for the Legislature and office space for the County Manager. I find it a comfort that we refer to the new building as the "Court Facility" rather than the "New Courthouse." Our courthouse has served this community for 154 years and by still calling it the "Courthouse" it is as if we are showing respect to an ancient reminder of our past. The one common fact that is shared by all three court buildings is that their front door faces east. I do not know if there is a significant reason, but it is an interesting trivia note!
