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Overview

Erected during the Gold Rush, this 1854 Greek Revival courthouse has remained in continuous service since then.

Building History

The City of Mariposa became the second capital of Mariposa County in 1851, the town of Agua Fria served as the first between 02/18/1850 and 11/10/1851. Several different kinds of courts used the new Mariposa space initially, a Justice Court, County Court, Court of Sessions, and a District Court, served by a District Judge roaming among several counties.

Two Gold Rush immigrants from the American Northeast, P.V. Fox and A.F. Shriver, constructed the courthouse during 1854. A two-floor, wood-frame building, the courthouse's plain, Greek Revival styling reflected common building types back in New England. P.V. Fox served as the building's designer, submitting plans on 06/21/1854. He charged $100 for his services, although he seems to have had trouble by 1858 and 1859 in collecting on the fee and its interest. Court cases recorded him trying to recover his costs.

According to Harry O. Stewart, who performed research on the courthouse's history in 1976: "Construction of the present Courthouse was commenced in 1854. The building was accepted and occupied early in 1855. The contract price was $9,000, with extras the cost was approximately $12,000. Materials for the all wood structure came from a pine forest within a mile of the Courthouse site. There the timbers were cut, sawn into rough lumber at a nearby sawmill, and some of its hand planed into finished lumber. Corners were formed by mortise and tenon. Nails used were hand made and square cut." (See Harry O. Stewart, Project Manager, Bicentennial Steering Committee, National Park Service.gov., "National Register of Historic Places Mariposa County Courthouse," accessed 07/11/2019.)

Building Notes

County administrators used office spaces on the first floor, while the courthouse operated on the second.

Initially, the County of Mariposa failed to obtain title to the land on which the Courthouse stood. Later, the landowner, explorer/military officer/politician John Charles Frémont (1813-1890), donated the site to the county.

Alteration

A remarkable time capsule of a building, few changes have been made to the Mariposa County Courthouse over the years. Electricity was added to the building, probably in the twentieth century, replacing existing kersosene lanterns.

A brick vault for storage of county records was built in 1861, while the clock tower, with its imported English clock, was appended to the roof by 1866. A white wood picket fence was added in 1975 and subsequently removed and new shutters added in 1973. (These shutters were removed subsequently.) According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form, "A building approximately the size of the original structure was constructed and joined to the rear of the original building in 1934." (See Harry O. Stewart, Project Manager, Bicentennial Steering Committee, National Park Service.gov., "National Register of Historic Places Mariposa County Courthouse," accessed 07/11/2019.)