Where is hunterdon new jersey

Occasionally, a special meeting would be called at another place. When not meeting in the Courthouse, the Board generally met at a tavern convenient to the location requiring the attention, such as a bridge site. The early Freeholders served without pay, which they "looked upon as a grievance," in that the sum of shillings 6 pence per meeting be allowed for expenses for each member in attendance.

The First Courthouse and Jail for the County, built about , was located in the center of Trenton. The governing body met once a year and transacted business in the Courthouse in Trenton. In March of an act of the New Jersey Legislature enabled the governing body to meet in the John Ringoes Tavern in Amwell, for the convenience of the County's inhabitants.

In May the Legislature was petitioned to hold an election to fix a place where a Courthouse and Jail should be built for Hunterdon County. The election was held in October, and Flemington was chosen as the location. George Alexander, an inn-keeper, offered a half acre of his land for the first Courthouse and Jail. It was erected in the summer of This structure burned in February ; arson was suspected.

The historic Courthouse was rebuilt on the same site in May , using some of the stone from the original building for the Jail portion at the rear of the Courthouse. The Jail was enlarged in A new Jail was built recently, located a block north of the Courthouse on Park Avenue.

It is unusual in shape round, with a bright blue roof. One of the distinguishing features of the historic Courthouse is the bell located in the cupola. It was installed with the building of the Courthouse in , and was used to announce the holding of court or to announce that a jury had reached a verdict. The Courthouse was first lighted by gas, replaced by electric in , again replaced by gas, then back to electric in Steam heat replaced the fireplaces in When the Courthouse was rebuilt following the fire in , a corner-stone containing a Bible, the laws of New Jersey, a brass plate upon which was engraved the year of erection, the name of the architect, building committee, etc.

In May , the Flemington Aqueduct Company erected a trough in front of the Courthouse for the public to water horses, cattle, etc. In , the Flemington Women's Club installed the present granite drinking fountain "for the convenience of the people and animals of this town". Capital punishment by hanging has been recorded in Hunterdon County. In March , Governor Stokes signed a bill outlawing hanging in New Jersey as the penalty for first degree murder, substituting electrocution.

In April a jury found John Schuyler guilty of a first degree murder committed in January of that year. He was sentenced to die on the scaffold on June 28, It looked as if New Jersey might have its last hanging in Flemington.

As a scaffold borrowed from Mercer County was being prepared, the execution was stayed. The penalty was later commuted on appeal. In January , in this century-old Courtroom, Bruno Hauptmann was tried for the crime of the fatal kidnapping of the son of Colonel Charles Lindbergh.

The dramatic trial attracted world-wide attention. Hauptmann was found guilty and was electrocuted in Trenton. The witness chair from the trial can be seen in the left corner in front of the railing at the front of the main Courtroom.

They decided that an election should be held at Meldrums Tavern in Ringoes to determine a location for the County Courthouse. Flemington, the County Seat for Hunterdon and parts of what are now Mercer County, was chosen to house the new Courthouse. Though little more than roads intersecting in the wilderness, Flemington was the intersecting point between Trenton, Philadelphia and New York. The original Courthouse was begun in , involving more than one hundred people in the effort.

Asher Atkinson was superintendent of the construction. Fieldstone was brought in by farmers, cut by masons and erected by local laborers. Three years later, the building was completed on the site of the historic Courthouse. Symbolizing the new County Seat, the building was two stories and measured sixty by thirty-five feet.

For thirty-seven years it served as the center of commercial and judicial life in the County. Lawyers from all over the County crossed its threshold, some well steeped in judicial law and others with limited schooling, who studied under a local lawyer's patronage.

One well-known attorney of the day was Thomas Potts Johnson, whose portrait hangs on the south wall of the main Courtroom above the retired jury chairs used in the Lindbergh trial. Admitted to the bar in , Johnson had originally been a carpenter before reading law under his father-in-law Richard Stockton of Princeton. A story is told of a dispute that arose between Johnson and his opponent regarding a point of law. His adversary remarked in a derisive manner that he could not be taught law by a carpenter.

Johnson rose to address the Court. New Jersey Profile. Living Here. Press Releases. Digital Assets. About Us. About Choose New Jersey. Our Team. Support Us. Contact Us. Please do not use a personal email gmail, yahoo, etc. Sign up to receive the latest on New Jersey business news and opportunities.

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According to the most recent U. Census, Hunterdon County ranks 16th among highest-income counties in the U. Hunterdon County boasts some of the best school districts and regional high schools in New Jersey. Hunterdon County is known for its beautiful landscapes and offers outstanding recreational and cultural opportunities at its many state, county and municipal parks, libraries and at the Clinton Arts Center and the Clinton Historical Museum Village in Clinton Township.