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About The Coquille Valley sentinel. (Coquille, Coos County, Or.) 1921-2003 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1996)
~2~ Architectural Evolution A FEW YEARS AND TREES BEGIN TO APPEAR The first, or original, courthouse in Coquille was a frame structure, two stories and basement, erected in 1898 by H. Snook of Salem at his bid of $12,105. Bids wdre originally opened in April, 1897, but held in abeyance for nine months because proper plans had not been made for funds with which to build. This delay• cost the county close to $500, be cause the price of material had ad vanced in the meantime. At the time the structure was erected it was thought thatit was being made suffi- cielhtly large to take care of the county's needs for many years, but the vision of the most sanguineresi- dents of that day could riot foresee what the future had in store for Coos County. NEWLY PAINTED AND THE TREES HAVE GROWN Coos County Court and Officials The first Coos County Judge was Charles Pearce, appointed from April 12, 1854 to December 18,1854. RJS. Belknap was appointed to succeed Pearce in September of; 1855, Pearce continuing until another appointment was completed. The remaining county judges serving Coos County were Samuel S. Mann, July 4,1859 to July 4, 1866; Gilbert Hall, D.J. Lowe, J.H. Nosier (two terms), Geo. M. Dyer, D.L. Watson (two terms) J. Henry Schtoe- der, member of the Original Baltimore colony, L. Harloeker (two termsJGohn F. Hall (two terms), James Watson- C.R. Wade, RH. Mast, D.F. Thompson and Hugh McLain. This list goes up to 1937. The first circuit court judge of this district in 1859 was ObediahB. McFad den, then associate supreme court judge, the three supreme court judges then each presiding over one of the state's three districts. STERN WHEELER WITH THE " DISPATCH" BEHIND IT COURTHOUSE -1916 In 1916, the population of Coos County had so grown and its legal business so increased that it was necessary to erect a new and more modem addition to the frame structure. Even the capacity of this addition, known as the Hall of Records, was fast overcrowded, and the prediction was made that before another 10 years rolled around, Coos County would need a larger and more modem structure to house its various departments.
