In the darkness of an early Tuesday morning in August of 2006, an electrical fire began in the Morgan County Courthouse and set the century-old brick building ablaze. What followed as August 8 dawned was a massive firefighting effort thatprotected the block around the courthouse, preserved all of the county’s records and prevented any loss of life.
Traffic had to be routed around town as the downtown square and surrounding blocks were filled with fire trucks, emergency vehicles, hoses, charred yellow brick and debris, then rounds of heavy equipment.
Courthouse employees, elected officials, local residents and downtown workers were shocked by what August 8, 2006 brought, upending their daily routines and duties, leaving a blackened shell in the center of Berkeley Springs.
County officials moved quickly to pave an area behind the old courthouse and set up temporary trailers in which county offices could continue to serve the public.
What followed in the months and years ahead was a lengthy process of removing the old courthouse structure, finding funding for architects and contractors, and agreeing on where a new courthouse would be built to house Morgan County government offices and courts. A design was chosen, funding secured and the empty corner would be empty no longer.
Residents and visitors alike watched the slow process of a new county courthouse taking shape in the footprint of the old structure. Its design drew attention – larger and boxier, taller and with a clock tower that was a tribute to the old building. In September of 2010, today’s courthouse was dedicated to the people of Morgan County.
Inside, a few pieces of the old courthouse are preserved today – a tower bell, an old clerk’s desk, items that were saved from the 2006 fire and serve as a reminder of a different courthouse square in the heart of Berkeley Springs.
What do you remember about the day the county courthouse burned?
