County celebrates 220 years of courthouse history; overview of court administration

As part of the meeting’s continuing-history series, Chad presented a 220th-anniversary overview of the Centre County courthouse and court administration.

Chad said the first quarter session in what is now Centre County was held in November 1800 and that early court sessions were held in the parlor of James Dunlap’s house at what is now 143 West High Street. He described the 1805 construction of the first courthouse; the addition of two wings in 1811; the columned porch added in 1835; the 1855 rebuild that retained some original elements; the 1906 dedication of memorials; and modern additions in 1964. He noted the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The presentation also described the modern responsibilities of court administration, the prothonotary’s office, probation and parole, domestic relations and the district attorney’s office, and provided staff counts and annual filing volumes (e.g., the prothonotary’s office processes roughly 6,000 civil and 2,500 criminal cases annually and about 1,000 passport applications per year). Chad said the courthouse handles roughly 25,000–30,000 public interactions each year.

Commissioners praised the presentation as a point of local pride; one commissioner asked whether the original cupola fish weather vane was original to the 1805 building and Chad answered that the fish is believed to be original and was moved during the 1835 changes. The presentation was informational and no board action was required.