Lancaster County Courthouse

The present Lancaster County Courthouse in Pennsylvania was constructed around 1852-1853 and was the last of several courthouse buildings, with the first meetings held in a local tavern. In 1729, Lancaster was a wilderness known as “backcountry.” The population in surrounding areas began expanding with English, German, and Scots-Irish settlers, and residents were spread far from the existing county seat. Petitioners were complaining of a lack of public officials to maintain laws, poor roadways, few bridges, and undivided townships, thus requiring a new county to be created. Lancaster County was officially formed on May 10, 1729, and was the first county created from William Penn’s original three counties: Bucks, Chester, and Philadelphia.

The Lancaster court began with William Penn, drafted the Frames of Government. The English system of government was adopted in the state, and after the establishment of Lancaster County, the court held its first session in a local tavern in Conestoga in August of 1729. Around 1737-1738, Lancaster’s first courthouse was officially built at the center of Penn Square. In that building, lawyers such as Thaddeus Stevens, 15th President James Buchanan, and Jasper Yeates first made history. After 1765, residents of Lancaster supported protests against Great Britain, and mobilized for war when hostilities broke out with England in 1775. During what was known as Pennsylvania’s “invasion year” from 1777-1778, Philadelphians and rural refugees moved west, including the Continental Congress and Pennsylvania’s General Assembly.

On September 27, 1777, the Continental Congress met in the courthouse on the way to New York, soon followed by the General Assembly. Because of the large influx of people in the city, Lancaster’s public buildings had to accommodate them by moving governmental functions to storerooms, rooming houses, taverns, and domestic quarters. In 1784, the courthouse was destroyed by fire, and a new one was built in its place in 1787, which became known as the “State House,” since Lancaster operated as the capitol from 1799-1812.  However, by the mid-19th century, the old courthouse at Penn Square could not accommodate the expanding population and court demands, and around 1852-1853, a new one was built at its present location at North Duke and East King Streets.

The new building was designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, with later additions from 1896-1898 and 1926-1927 designed by Lancaster architects James H. Warner and C. Emlen Urban. The first time local courts were required to have a presiding judge “learned in the law” was after the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790, during which time William Augustus Atlee was appointed as the first judge of the Lancaster County Courthouse. The first session was held in the second courthouse structure built in Penn Square, and lasted four days beginning on October 31, 1971. In 1838, a new constitution allowed for 10-year judicial appointments with senate approval, but in 1850, an amendment removed all sitting judges and replaced them with judges elected by popular vote. In 1874, that term was set at 10 years, and in 1968, an amendment allowed judges to be chosen in the same manner for their initial 10-year term, but then be eligible for election or retention.

In 1978, the Lancaster County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On June 11, 1951, a historical marker was erected in honor of the courthouse. Today, the archives hold over 275 years of history. Over time, some improvements were required of the courthouse, such as a renovation of the dome on top. The project took 10-12 months at a cost of $500,000, and required the removal of the copper Lady Justice statue for the restoration.

1. Lancaster County Courthouse Historical Marker, Explore PA History. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-15F.
2. History of the Lancaster County Courthouse, County of Lancaster. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/DocumentCenter/View/328/History-of-Lancaster-County-Courthouse.
3. History, Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://www.court.co.lancaster.pa.us/152/History.
4. Court House, Lancaster Sept. 27, 1777, Department of State. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section5.
5. Courthouse Dome Project, Lancaster County. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/942/Courthouse-Dome-Project.
6. Lancaster County Courthouse (Pennsylvania), Wikipedia. Accessed November 5th 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_County_Courthouse_(Pennsylvania)#:~:text=Lancaster%20County%20Courthouse%20is%20a,Sloan%20(1815%E2%80%931884)..