The City Of Chester.
structed to provide a pair of stocks and a whipping-post. Whether the expense of the building of the new court-house, as desired by the grand jury, in 1701-2, was greater than the county could undertake, cannot now be determined, but there is no documentary evidence to show that such a structure was ever erected, and we indorse the opinion of Dr. Smith and John Hill Martin that the next court-house in chronological order was the old building on Market Street, known to us of the present day as the City Hall.
The fifth court-house, including the tavern of Neeles Laerson in the number, was the massive stone structure still standing on the west side of Market Street, which was built in 1724, the date-stone being in the south wall, but covered with the dull brownish preparation which still defaces the ancient edifice, and hides the numerals from sight. The building has the pent-roof projections over the first-story windows, as was the style of architecture of that day, and as originally constructed was surmounted with a small belfry rising from the centre of the roof, in which formerly hung a bell, with the words "Chester, 1729" cast in the metal. The bay or semi-circular projection at the north side, in the rear of the judges' bench, was added at a later date. The jury-rooms were in the second story of the building. Dr. Smith tells us that tradition has handed down an incident "as having happened during the building of the court-house, or some other public building in Chester," which he relates as follows:
"During the progress of the work a young lady was observed to pass and repass the building daily, dressed in very gay attire. After the promenade had been continued for some time, one of the workmen, less mannerly than his associates, upon the appearance of the lady, called out, -
"The young lady, feeling indignant at the insult, promptly replied, -
Unfortunately for the tradition connecting this incident with Chester, the same story is told respecting the erection of an edifice in York, England, which building antedates the discovery of America by the Genoese mariner, and the anecdote is related of several localities in Great Britain years before we have knowledge that any European had settled at Upland.
When the new court-house was finished an act of Assembly was procured "to enable the trustee to sell the old Court House and prison belonging to the borough and county of Chester," and in 1725 the building mentioned, the one built in 1695, and part of the wall of which stands in the house now owned by Jonathan Pennell, on Edgmont Avenue, was sold to William Preston, of Philadelphia, mariner, for twenty-seven pounds.
The presumption is that the old jail, which stood at the northwest corner of Fourth and Market Streets, was built previous to the date of the erection of the courthouse on the same street. The act of Feb. 22, 1718, required "that within the space of three years after the 25th day of March, 1718, a house of correction, or work-house, shall be built . . . in Chester, at the charge of the county of Chester." The old work-house stood directly in the rear of the prison, and the fact that it was located on the thoroughfare leading from Market Street to Edgmont gave the name of Work Street to the highway for more than a century. The prothonotary's office, which still stands back from the present building-line of Market Street, and now owned by James Hampson, was not erected in that year, for at "the private session" of the court, held at the house of John Hannum, in Concord, Dec. 15, 1724, Joseph Parker petitioned the court, "setting forth ye great danger ye records of ye county lay in, as well as by casualties of fire, as other accidents;" the court "allows ye petition to be reasonable, and orders ye clerk to present ye same before ye commissioners and assessors of ye same county, in order that they may fit a room in ye new Court House for keeping ye said records in; and when prepared order ye old clerk to transmit all ye said records to ye place so appropriated accordingly, and not to be removed without ye Court's direction." Twelve years after this order Joseph Paken, in his petition dated Jan. 24, 1737, gives a woeful description of the then condition of the court-house. He says, -