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Courthouse: Citizens tour courthouse

Tours were provided and included information about the courthouse.

As a tribute to this milestone, Marion Kiwanis Club selected the courthouse's century milestone as the theme for this year's Old Settlers' Day celebration.

Basic facts

The courthouse is 100 feet by 80 feet. The clock tower rises 40 feet above the roof level and is 100 feet in total height.

The E.Howard Clock Company of Boston, installed the clock tower in 1908. The clock is wound once a week. The pendulum is nine feet long and in enclosed in a wooden box that hangs directly below the clock mechanism. The clock weighs 1,200 pounds. Each of the clock faces is seven feet tall, made of cast iron, and weighs 200 pounds.

In 1997, the clock tower was repaired, wooden supports were rebuilt, mortar was redone, and the clock faces were sandblasted and painted.

The cornerstone, located on the northwest corner of the building, reportedly holds a sealed copper box which contains papers and artifacts accumulated by the county clerk at that time.

Marion County Clerk Carol Maggard said she wishes there was a way to retrieve that box and information, but does not plan to pursue.

The clerk is considering a time capsule that would continue artifacts of 2006 that could be opened in a set time frame but would not necessarily be embedded in the building.

A tornado in 1970 left a 30'x20' hole in the northeast corner of the second floor roof. Several rocks from the clock tower fell on the hallways, breaking the tile. To this day, the broken tile serves as a reminder of that storm.

Three original coal-burning fireplaces remain within the building. They are located in the commission room, clerk's office, and treasurer's office.

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