The Cass County Courthouse (1997)

"She's A Grand OLE Lady"

by Lenore Hutchison

She's one of many faces. She has been a log cabin; she has been built of brick that was burned in a kiln locally and she stands, as she is today, after several face lifts since 1897. The log courthouse was built in 1837 when the county was called Van Buren County.

She was a dream in the hearts of early pioneers. Cass County became "official in 1835 and in 1837 Fleming Harris was appointed Town Commissioner. In May of the same year the court received bids for the first building. It was composed of 1 room, 18 foot square and the other room 14 x 18 foot with …a good plank floor in each room well laid so that it will not rock nor shake nor rattle. A good chimney in each end put in and the fireplace well and complete fixed with stone or brick so as to secure the safety of fire." She was becoming a reality. She was completed in the early part of November 1837 and was located at 200 West Wall.

Harrisonville was growing and the Court wanted a permanent courthouse so in 1843 a plan " not to exceed $3000" was submitted and approved. To be finished by early fall of 1844, it was a 2 story brick building with the brick fired in a kiln on the public square by "brickmaster" Henry Baker. She was now the center and the heartbeat of the county.

Early in 1860 the courthouse was deemed unsafe and inadequate so the County Court appropriated $15000 to build a new one. But the Lady was required to wait for a while. Petitions of serious objections were filed with the Court from a worried public, concerning the expenditures of such a large sum when the entire country was in such a depressed condition. Circumstances were leading to a war and although new bricks were waiting to be laid, they were instead sold at public auction. The money was then used to repair the old courthouse. This substantial old building was then used for almost 40 more years.

She was a patient and gallant Lady. The present structure was built in 1897. She is a 3 story, yellow brick structure 93 feet long and 78 feet wide. She sits majestically in the center of-the town square. She has even outgrown her walls and spills over into other annexes in order to house all the offices necessary to keep a county running.

She has known her moments of sorrow and joy. She suffered the indignity of having horses stabled within her walls during the tragic Civil War. She wept tears of sadness when blood was shed within her shadows and men and women stood upon her sides in hatred. When autos were new to the community, the Lady must have smiled as the drivers of horse-drawn buggies and wagons and the automobile operators fought over the parking spaces. (Peace reigned when the horses settled for the East and West sides and those new-fangled cars won the North and South sides of the Lady).

Retaining walls were added to her "skirts" and trees have been her planted sentries. A statue guards her southwest corner and honors her boys and girls who defend her ground. She flies Old Glory with a proud patriotism. It was a hard-won battle for her. But she takes it all with quiet dignity and demands the respect that is due her. She's a grand OLE Lady.

Courthouse Steeple showing Dummy Clock (circa 1908)

Town Clock Club

The new Cass County courthouse had stood for about 10 years and there was still no clock in the tower.

A group of 18 ladies sought to remedy the situation and the Harrisonville Town Clock Club was organized May 11, 1908 with the purpose of raising funds to purchase a clock for the courthouse tower. Apparently there were 18 members who paid a membership fee of $1.00 each. Their meeting place was in the Ladies Rest Room in the County Courthouse! Meetings were held weekly at 3:00 pm, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons.

Harrisonville Town Clock Club in Historic Costumes (circa 1909)

Activities were planned for this group to raise money. Activities ranged from "Kid Minstrel" held in July 1908 to pie suppers, ball games, bazaars and an activity called the Poultry and Egg Proposition. The months of September and January were the only two months out of the year in which no activity was held.

By January 7, 1909, the ladies had raised $762.45 towards the purchase of the clock and proceeded to tackle the County Court for an addition to their funds. Their anticipated needs being about $1250. The County Court voted to give them $200. The money was to be available only when the clock was completely installed and in working order.

On February 10, 1909, with $962.45 in hand, the ladies of the Town Clock Club, having faith, awarded the contract for the courthouse clock to the Seth Thomas Clock Company for the price of $1231. The specification called for a "Tower Clock Having Four Faces." It was to be installed by May 11, 1909, their first anniversary.

Three pie suppers and a female minstrel show later, the money was all "on hand" with a surplus of some $60. The ladies were disappointed but their clock was not to be in place for their first anniversary . The newspaper lamented with them but expressed the confidence that they would soon be hearing the striking of the hours and half hours.

By May 20, 1909 the clock was all at the Frisco Depot and everything in readiness for the "expert clock man" , W.J. Buckley, representative of the Seth Thomas Clock Company. Work on the clock began May 26, 1909 when the clock was moved to the front door of the courthouse in preparation of moving the time piece to the tower.

Mr. Buckley later moved his workshop to the Patrick Building where he had a "force" of men putting the different parts together. The bell weighed 1200 pounds, each of the four dials contained 250 feet of white pine lumber, 12 gross of screws and 10 pounds of nails.

The installation of the town clock was completed on Thursday, June 10, 1909, and formally presented to the Executive committee of the club. A silver plaque on the clock frame has the following inscription: "Presented to Cass County, Missouri, by the Harrisonville Town Clock Club. Mrs F.D. French, President; Mrs H.B. Moody, Secretary, 11 May, 1909."