Old Court House

In 1817, Simeon DeWitt donated this land for a county courthouse. The current structure, the second on the site, was built in 1854. Union Springs architect John F. Maurice designed it in the Gothic Revival style, popular then for domestic and religious buildings. Gothic features include the asymmetrical facade, a tall parapeted tower on one side, a shorter hexagonal turret on the other, and pointed-arch windows with tracery and molded crowns. The courthouse, thought to be the oldest Gothic Revival public building in New York State, served as the county seat for 80 years, until the present courthouse was built in 1932. After a heated battle to halt demolition, extensive renovations were made in 1975-76, and the second-story courtroom was returned to its original use.

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