Polk County Historical Museum Pavers - Bartow, FL
Posted by: debbado
N 27° 53.826 W 081° 50.591
17R E 417015 N 3086089
These pavers line the sidewalk in front of the Polk County Historical Museum (Old Polk County Courthouse)
Waymark Code: WM64DF
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2009
Views: 4
Home of the Polk County Historical Museum and Historical & Genealogical Library, the Polk County Historic Courthouse is the centerpiece of downtown Bartow. The first courthouse was built in 1867 of hand-hewn timbers for $3,000. It was replaced in 1884 by a two-story frame court-house. The cornerstone for Polk's third courthouse, which still exists today, was laid in December, 1908, and the building was completed in June of 1909. East and West wings were added in 1926, increasing the three-story building to about 50,000 square feet. Well into the 1940's, the building housed not only the entire court system (courtrooms, judges' offices, state's attorney, county solicitor, and clerks of criminal circuit courts), but also the other county offices, including the county commission, the school board, the sheriff, the tax assessor, the tax collector, the elections supervisor, and the county surveyor.
Today, the historic courthouse is home of the Polk County Historical Museum. Celebrating the 90th birthday of the Courthouse, the museum opened its doors on September 19, 1998. It features a vast array of historical materials depicting the cultural, economic, political, and social history of Polk County and Central Florida, from the earliest times to the present, in the context of the state and the nation.
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