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Dear Lodge County Courthouse at Anaconda
Courtesy of the David Berryman Collection
Sent in by Lorene FrigaardDon, Here is the history of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Courthouse to go with the pictures you already have. This story is found on pages 173-174, in the book "Under the Shadow of Mt. Haggin," compiled by the Deer Lodge County History Group and printed in 1975 as a Bicentennial Year "Heritage" Project. Sally Campbell was the writer (her words in quotes). Deer Lodge County Courthouse Since consolidation of city and county government in 1972, the courthouse has been named the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Courthouse, and it has now been in continuous operation for over 102 years. According to a story written by Sally Campbell about the courthouse for inclusion in the 1975 book titled "Under the Shadow of Mt. Haggin," construction began in June of 1898, with the courthouse being completed in the spring of 1900.? A bond in the amount of $100,000 was overwhelmingly approved by the local voters and Dolan & Hamill Contruction Company was hired to begin work immediately. The original amount of the contract for the courthouse and the jail (located immediately to the left as you face the courthouse) was $96,750, but many additions and changes increased the cost up to about $100,539. The land for the courthouse and jail cost the county $10,000 according to count records. The courthouse had a rotunda, a circular staircase, many frescoes, and a "dumb waiter" so the clerk of the court wouldn't have to carry heavy books up and down the stairs. "A reporter of that time, in describing the interior wrote, "The electric light fixtures are beautiful in the extreme." The building is constructed of stone and the tower is stone on steel "towering 110 feet from grade to top." Frescoes were accomplished by the Consolidated Artists of Milwaukee, and there were two schools of thought on exactly how. Lloyd Kitchin, the painte who most recently worked on restoration of the ornate paintings, claims they are painted on paper which had been affixed to the interior of the dome. A close examination revealed the signatures of the artists." Although the jail still stands beside the wonderful courthouse, it is no longer in use due to suicides in recent years, and seriously deteriorating support timbers under the building. In November 2000, the voters approved a new bond levy of a little more than $2,000,000 to build a new jail. A committee was formed to design a new facility with an eye towards today's modern needs and demands. An architect was hired, a design approved, and contracts let for construction this past spring. Groundbreaking for the foundation began in early May, 2002. This new jail will be?adjacent to the old jail. The old jail is on the National Register of Historic Places, so I am sure it will be around for some time to come. Lorene Frigaard