Hail Temple Built to Justice: A History of Mercer County’s Court Houses by Robert B. Fuhrman (60 pages, paperback, 8.5 x 11")

“Hail Temple Built to Justice: A History of Mercer County’s Court Houses” is a detailed history of Mercer County, Pennsylvania’s three courthouses from 1804 to present, illustrated with photographs of all three courthouses and features.

Admiring the majestic courthouse commanding the center of Mercer’s ‘diamond,’ it is hard to imagine that the hallowed halls of justice originated from such humble beginnings, having previously served the county’s citizenry from a tavern, a log structure, a school and two prior courthouse buildings. The Mercer County Courthouse of today has been called a physical, architectural, and historical landmark, and with good reason.

The First Courthouse was built on the current site in 1807 from the proceeds of the sales of lots in Mercer at a cost of $7,116. The courthouse was a square structure of brick, two stories high, with wings on the east and west sides of the first story. In 1840 the wings were taken down and large additions were made at a cost of $1,500. The building was then destroyed by fire just as Americans were beginning to recover from the Civil War in 1866.

The Second Courthouse was built immediately after the first Courthouse burned down at a cost of $100,000. It was made of red brick with stone trimmings and was surmounted by a belfry to which was later added a town clock. This Courthouse then burned down in December 1907, apparently due to a gas explosion as the tower’s clock faces were illuminated with gas lighting. The county’s government was temporarily moved to the Mercer Academy.

The Present Courthouse was erected in 1909 at a cost of approximately $500,000. The contractor suffered a huge loss since he had bid it at $324,000. The architect was Charles F. Owsley. Decorated with the finest furnishings and artwork, the most impressive feature of the courthouse, however, is the dome, which has clock faces on the four cardinal directions and was modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.