On March 24, 1937 the old Jefferson County Courthouse was being torn down. The original cornerstone was removed and a mechanic used an acetelyne torch to unfasten a copper box taken from the 2,000-pound stone placed there 49 years earlier.
Some of the things found inside included”
- Two Bibles
- A copper plate with the names of all county officials on it
- A copy of The Jones Valley Sun dated May 10, 1888
- A 10-cent piece, with a card bearing the name George A. Hawley
- A piece of pig iron
- $167 in Confederate currency
- A Spatula
- A 25-cent piece,
- A 10-cent piece
- Three 5-cent pieces
- One 3-cent piece
- A medallion with the insignia of the Odd Fellows on it
A story was circulated that a quart of liquor had been sealed in the corner stone when it was closed May 17, 1888, but no liquor was found.
SOURCE
- The Tuscaloosa News March 24, 1937
ALABAMA FOOTPRINTS: Settlement: Lost & Forgotten Stories is a collection of lost and forgotten stories of the first surveyors, traders, and early settlements of what would become the future state of Alabama.
Some stories include:
- A Russian princess settling in early Alabama
- How the early setters traveled to Alabama and the risks they took
- A ruse that saved immigrants lives while traveling through Native American Territory
- Alliances formed with the Native Americans
- How an independent republic, separate from the United States was almost formed in Alabama
I like the way the old courthouse looked.
I wonder if the old courthouse on that same site earlier had a cornerstone.
Always enjoy receiving the newsletter.
Beautiful historic building demolished as was the old Depot. Pieces of history gone forever.
Great Building no longer in Birmingham AL.