Auburn: The Classic City (Making of America) by Smith John Martin

Author:Smith, John Martin [Smith, John Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2002-11-25T05:00:00+00:00

YMCA BUILDING. The Young Men’s Christian Association was one of the first to admit women to activities.

County officials decided to demolish the old courthouse and build a new one on the square. Demolition of the structure was a spectacular event. Strategically placed charges of dynamite quickly removed the octagonal tower that had been a DeKalb County landmark for almost half a century.

DeKalb County citizens and officials had talked about a new courthouse for many years. While the brick courthouse with its octagonal tower was a handsome building, it had become too small for the county’s needs and some feared that it was not a safe place for the deposit of county records.

A new county infirmary was needed also. After considerable discussions, it was concluded that the infirmary should be built first because it could be paid for over a relatively short period of time. Thereafter, the new courthouse could be built. The County Infirmary (now called DeKalb County Farm) was completed in 1908.

DeKalb County continued to grow. The first decade of the century was particularly prosperous and progressive. Electric lights and telephones became available in Auburn. Interurban lines made distant communities conveniently close. The automobile was developing as a means of transportation. There were multiple automobile manufacturers in Auburn and all were doing well. A new courthouse was a symbol of community progress and a matter of great pride. The desire for a new courthouse intensified and it soon became apparent that it would be financially possible.

The first organized effort toward building a new courthouse began on Friday, August 13, 1909, when the Auburn Commercial Club (predecessor to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce) called a meeting of its directors “to discuss ways and means and plans whereby DeKalb County might have a courthouse suitable of the needs of the county, a place where records would be safe from the ravages of fire and in keeping with the wealth of the county.”

This group decided to request the DeKalb County Commissioners to make requisition for funds to prepare plans and specifications for the new building in time for the DeKalb County Council to act on it at their September meeting. They had to act quickly in order to get this accomplished, so they formed an “automobile party” that afternoon and drove to the home of their commissioner, Thomas F. Elson, to discuss the matter. Elson agreed to call a special meeting of the commissioners. The commissioners met on August 16, 1909 and made an appropriation of $1,000, of which $200 was to be available in 1909 for the inspection of other buildings and $800 was to be used for preparing plans and specifications. The DeKalb County Council met on September 9, 1909 and appropriated $200 to provide for the inspection of other buildings. The County Infirmary had been paid for with a tax levy of 44¢ per $100 valuation. The council decided to leave this levy in effect in order to accumulate funds for the new courthouse.

As county officials began serious planning

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