THE COURTHOUSE TOUR!!! PART II

Welcome back, Blogging Buddies!!

I figured I had better give you the second part of the Courthouse Tour before life threw me something that took me away from posting!

This section of the tour will provide you with the "not-on-the-standard-tour" locations for the most part.  I have a little more to tell you about most of these photos.

Our first stop is the office of one of the judges.  She is a friend of mine and who provided the "secret" tour of the courthouse.  Her office has been "redone" which included pulling up old flooring and doing a full refinish of the original wood floor.  Keep the photo in mind as you will see another one soon with the original wood floor that has been neglected for years.  The lesson here?  Don't ever discount a wood floor without trying to bring it back to life!!

Now let's go up a level to what used to be the "Jurors Apartment."  I was surprised, too!  Turns out that when the courthouse was put into use, many of the jurors (who were all men, by the way) had to ride their horses into town to serve.  Since "commuting" by horse was not an efficient way to run a trial, the architect had apparently planned for that and incorporated a barracks-like environment where the jurors could "live" until the trial was completed.  (Wonder if that made for shorter trials?  Hmmmmmm.)  There were bunk-type beds lined up along the wall to the left.  The door at the back right of the photo led to the one-sink, one-toilet, one-shower, one-tub bathroom that served the jurors.  Look at the floor of this old apartment currently used for storage. and know it could look just like the one in the judge's office.

While I did not take a photo of the shower, I did appreciate the old lavatory and the beautiful clawfoot tub that are, unfortunately, probably going to simply sit and go to ruin.  I would think someone would find a repurpose use for them but doubt that will happen.

Alrighty!!  Now the REAL fun begins.  Are you ready to go to the roof?!?  Let me explain that it requires climbing up some very narrow and winding stairs... (notice the beautiful ironwork and woodwork in addition to the marble stairs!)

... until you finally reach the "hole" through which one must contort and maneuver in order to gain roof access!!!  (The judge said she "love(d) the mouse picture" which made no sense to me until I viewed the photos she sent me.)

Yes... that's the spousal-unit behind me... laughing as I try to figure out how to squeeze through this half-size door!

I gotta' tell you... this is a view of the town you won't find anywhere else!  We wandered around for a while, taking photos and just enjoying the views.  I'm keeping my rooftop photos to a minimum for you but thought you'd enjoy a couple of them.


Clock View



The Bell was in the dome previously but placed outside at some point and sits on the roof



Rooftop view of the Gothic "Hanging Jail" next door



My fellow roof-crashers!!  Susan, Judge Martha, and the Spousal-Unit

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was to have been able to take this unusual tour... and to be able to get BACK into the "mouse hole" to return to terra firma!!


 

There were a lot of other places we were able to visit including an area that USED to be a balcony overlooking the large courtroom area.  It has been closed off and some scabbed-together HVAC equipment has been placed there.  Had there been a better vision of this historical property, perhaps things would have been different.  As it is, the parish clearly does not have the vision and this building may eventually become nothing more than storage.  There are conversations about whether to attempt a renovation or to simply find/build another building (I'm sure a cheap metal version of nothing) to use as the courthouse.  Of course, a poor parish begets bargain-basement planning.  It's unfortunate.

So... that is the end of the Beauregard Parish Courthouse tour.  I hope you enjoyed it.  A big THANK YOU to Judge Martha who made it possible!!!

Until next post...

THE COURTHOUSE TOUR!!! PART I

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!  Welcome back!

No... it's not what you think.  It was not a "forced" tour.  It was a tour unlike any most folks get to take, however, and I thought you might be interested.

First of all, the Beauregard Parish Courthouse was completed in 1914.  The "Hanging Jail" was completed that same year and was designed by the same architect although the structures are VERY different.  (Please take a few moments to click on the links and read about them!)

At any rate, I had worked at the Clerk of Court's office in the courthouse for two weeks during my high school years.  I was microfiching documents.  If you're too young to know that word, look it up!!!  I have a funny story about that short-term job and I'll be glad to tell you about it if you ask me.

I am going to provide you with a series of photos which are about half of the total you'll see.  We'll start with the basics... an exterior shot followed by some photos taken during our tour of the main floor of the 3-story building.  Believe me, this is just the beginning of a tour I won't soon forget... but you'll have to wait for the exciting second half until my next post.  I promise it will follow immediately.



  



Beautiful marble 8-point star on the main floor



The small courtroom where "minor" trials are held... whatever those are!

 



The bar and Judge's Bench as viewed from the "peanut gallery."





The Jury Box in the large courtroom.  Those chairs don't look too comfy!!





The Jury Deliberation Room - Note both ends of the table are rounded.

Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian?  Do you know which?



If you're old enough to remember Fallout Shelters, you'll also remember "Duck and Cover."



So... is this where the criminals work?  Or is this where they keep the criminals?  Hmmmmm.

I'll end this post for now.  There are about ten more photos I want to share with you.  They are even more interesting than these just due to where they were taken and what they show.

Until Part II...