Introduction
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Hamilton County has had 6 courthouses to date, constructed in 1790, 1802, 1819, 1854, 1887 and 1915. The first Courthouse in Hamilton County was a log cabin erected in 1790 on what is now Government Square. It had no jail or other place of incarceration so a public whipping post was installed and this was used as the primary means of punishment. Of the six Cincinnati Courthouses, three have burned to the ground. The present courthouse built in 1919 is the fourth courthouse constructed on the site. The second courthouse was destroyed in the Cincinnati riots of 1884.
GPS Location: 39°06'25.5"N 84°30'38.9"W
Content
Hi I'm Scott borders and welcome to another edition of history in your own backyard.
Today we find ourselves in downtown Cincinnati in front of the beautiful Hamilton County Courthouse and joining me.
Is the Honorable Judge Melba Marsh judge? How are you doing I'm fine, hi Scott? How are you it is great to be here and I know this? Has some tremendous history to this building and it starts right with the inception.
If you look at it, it looks kind of like a fortress.
Almost so tell us a little bit about.
It was the house that was created because of fire.
Let me set the scene for you.
This is the 7th Hamilton County Courthouse, the 1st Hamilton County Courthouse, was on Main Street small log cabin.
Second, one made a little bit more than that, just a little bit bigger the third was burnt by fire and then the fourth one was brought to this particular location, approximately proud 300 thousand dollars, and then we come to the fifth courthouse, the one that is a main interest.
1984 I want to set the scene for you.
It was in this location.
There was a murder case going on in this building and in two individuals were on trial for killing their employer for just as sum of a couple of hundred dollars, and what happened was the first individual was convicted and hanged and the second individual, the jury said not guilty to murder, but instead guilty to a way lesser charge.
The public didn't like it.
Cincinnati Enquirer wrote major editorials about it and then a group of people at Memorial Hall decided to do something about it and take justice in their own hands.
They walk down from Memorial Hall.
They came to the courthouse to talk about justice, but the they didn't.
They didn't end with just a talking.
They decided to storm the courthouse.
Take the prisoner and exact their type of justice.
However, the sheriff had already moved that particular prisoner and they burst in to the courthouse they attacked it.
It was a year was in 1884 riot for this building went from March to 28th between 9th and 30th until the governor sent out relief, the guard to secure the courthouse, but when the guard arrived, there was nothing left.
The courthouse had was burnt to the crisp.
There was one guard who actually tried to stand his post and they honor.
Captain Desmond was the leader of the troops.
He stood right in front of those doors and he said no one passes by me.
Unfortunately, Desmond only had a small group of officers and the and the riot tears brushed in pushed him down and he was killed in the in the gunfire.
Now the people in Cincinnati got a little smarter after that, and they decided when they were gonna rebuild the courthouse.
They were gonna.
Do it in a way to keep something like that from happening again, so tell us: what did they do to improve the courthouse? I called this building the building that was built to resist fire everything you see around this building was made with that idea.
We're standing on the on the plaza look, look at this wall that guards the courthouse on each each of the sides, and we have turrets right on each side of the courthouse that that's not, therefore, by accident inside all the marble.
This building was state-of-the-art when it was built three million dollars.
Look at all the marble that bent is in the house.
The stairs are marble, the walls are marble, they can't burn how many places have you known that has his own personal moat around a building and the reason why that this building could never be stormed in fact, look at all the things that we had the full first look: the electric building, one of the first in the city of Cincinnati.
It has his own central vacuum system and the lights the marble, the money.
The Spence is one of the ground rules of the city.
It still is, and I think one of the things you notice when you come in, you see the big archways and a lot of the architecture done.
It reminds you of being in a European castle almost interesting.
You should say that some of the marble is directly from France.
They spared no expense for this and the craftsmanship think of the archways there's so many archways throughout the whole building.
It is an engineering feat and some of the courtrooms span two floors.
You know when on I I wasn't here, obviously, but in October the 18th 1918, when this was dedicated, we're standing right on the plaza think of all the people who were here to say wonderful, -.
We have a courthouse and we're proud of it.
The speaker that day was u.s.
senator Warren Harding, who later became president and the speeches were such that this is this- is the crown jewel of the Hamilton County a place that we're proud a price for the Hall of Justice and it has remained so.
This is the 99th year of this building and I am very proud to be its presiding administrative judge of this building.
But what I'm most proud of is that as a kid I've had the opportunity to live my dreams out into this building.
I came here when I was 9 years old.
You know, I wanted to be an attorney.
I hit my little satchel I used to visit all of all the rooms and I'm one of the luckiest people to have been associated with this building.
I worked here as a teenager.
I worked here as a law clerk going through law.
School I was an assistant, Hamilton County Prosecutor, this building for over 11 years, I was a municipal court judge and I was a common police court judge, and now this year the building and I share up a bond together.
I've always loved this building, and it amazing very much to me I'm, never one to reminisce about first or anything of that sort, but to know that I that kid who walked down those steps pertained to be a lawyer.
I stand here talking to you as an administrative, presiding judge of this courthouse, that's really a significant thing for me to share, and certainly for me to celebrate and really a part of the historical lore of this building.
That is correct.
You know I'm the first woman to be presiding, judge the first african-american to be presiding, judge and this 99th year.
That's one of the things that I'm so proud of.
I share a history with this building.
It's not inscribed anywhere on the building, but the building that I know each other and I think that we that we shared that and and I'm proud of it I hope.
It is proud of me- and this is why you've been a wonderful tour guiding one of my favorite parts of getting to see this building was going upstairs to the law.
Library tell us a little bit about it's beautiful at the time that it was built.
Did you see the that you see the Italian marble? It's all green, it was built.
It was meticulously picked out that way and the chandeliers when it was built it was the crown jewel we're talking about the crown jewel of the building, but that was the most magnificent room.
You know the law library is open to all visitors, I, hope, individuals who see this make a trip to the Hamilton County Courthouse come and see our law library walk the halls.
I hope that you get from this tour and invitation to see the halls of justice.
You know when the our forefathers built this building.
They made messages all around this building.
If you look at all of the all of the corners and the things that I have learned from this building, I've learned a lot of lessons from this building.
I've learned truth: I learned about justice, I learned about forgiveness, I learned about evil from this building as well, but the things that the forefathers when they built this building, they put special inscriptions for everybody to understand the importance of this building on the Parkway, sighs it says visit.
We are a government of laws and not of men on right behind us on this main straight side.
This is the administration of laws for social Union, but my favorite is right there on Court Street, that I think every judge and every person should know when they walk in what does the Lord require of me, but to love justice and to love mercy? I hope that this will be an invitation for individuals to come out next year will be our hundredth anniversary, our hundredth birthday.
We really have a huge birthday party.
So if you see this, look at your history in your own backyard and come down to the courthouse, come for a tour and, more importantly, just come down to discover history well, judge.
After all, the Hamilton County Courthouse is in your backyard.
It's true! Thank you! So much and you have been a wonderful wealth of knowledge about this entire area in this entire building.
Well, that's been it from the Hamilton County Courthouse in downtown Cincinnati for another episode of history in your own backyard, I'm Scott borders- and this is the Honorable Judge Melba Marsh, so remember, travel slowly and stop often.
