Broome County Courthouse is a historic
courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
located at
Binghamton
Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the con ...
in
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor whe ...
. It is a massive -story structure, built on a raised foundation, in the form of a
Latin Cross and topped with an elegant copper dome. Originally constructed in 1897–1898 in a "T" shape, the south wing was added in 1916–1917 to form the cross. It was designed by noted New York State architect
Isaac G. Perry
Isaac Gale Perry (1822–1904) was a prolific New York State architect and Real estate developer, builder. His works include New York State Inebriate Asylum, Phelps Mansion and the First National Bank of Oxford.
Life and career
Isaac G. ...
.
[ ''See also:'' ]
History
Prior to the formation of Broome County, the land had been part of
Tioga County since its formation in 1791, with its initial court sessions held in Newtown (present-day
Elmira). As the county had settlements in both its eastern and western portions, a second county judicial district was established in 1793 in the present-day town of
Dickinson, with proceedings held at the residence of prominent Binghamton land agent Joshua Whitney. In 1802, a formal courthouse was built at Chenango Point (present-day Binghamton) on the northwest corner of Court and Chenango Street.
William Bingham
William Bingham (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. Bingham was o ...
, owner of the land that became the city, donated what is now Courthouse Square for use as a public square, and the courthouse was moved across the street.
When Broome County was split off from Tioga County in 1806, a new courthouse was erected at Courthouse Square, the first to be officially known as the Broome County Courthouse. Rapid growth in the county led to the construction of larger replacement courthouses in 1828 and 1856 (the first to be made of brick). A fire on December 28, 1896 destroyed the courthouse, leading to the construction of the fourth Broome County Courthouse starting in 1897.
The courthouse and its square were the inspiration for Johnny Cash's 1974 song "
Ragged Old Flag".
He wrote the song after walking around the square while in town for a concert.
It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1973.
In addition to its individual listing, the courthouse is located within the boundaries of the
Court Street Historic District.
References
External links
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Broome County, New York
County courthouses in New York (state)
Buildings and structures in Binghamton, New York
History of Broome County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Broome County, New York
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state)
Government buildings completed in 1898
Clock towers in New York (state)
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