By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A group spearheading the restoration effort of the Ellis County Courthouse will host a celebration and rededication of the courthouse on Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m.
The Ellis County Courthouse Preservation Committee will host a 75th Anniversary Celebration on the west steps of the courthouse, 1204 Fort Street, Hays, which was completed in the 1940s as part of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Former Ellis County Clerk and member of the Preservation Committee Alberta Klaus said after working in the courthouse for more than 40 years she is happy they are celebrating the courthouse on its 75th anniversary and hopes they can raise the funds to complete the restoration.
“We would be celebrating the fact that this building has been sitting there since 1942,” Klaus said “When it was first built they anticipated enough room in that courthouse for 50 years, that’s how far ahead they looked at that time.” The courthouse walls were built entirely of limestone mined from quarries in the county.
Friday’s celebration will pay homage to the original dedication with speakers, music and a ribbon cutting similar to those from the May 12, 1942 event. Ellis County Counselor Bill Jeter will be the master of ceremonies. At the 1942 dedication Bill’s father Norman Jeter, then the Ellis County Attorney, served as the master of ceremonies. There will also be a drawing for prizes.
Other Preservation Committee members are Phil Martin, Ellis, former Ellis City Clerk and former Ellis City council member; Kay Lynn Philip, Ellis County, daughter and granddaughter of two former Ellis County commissioners; Allen C. Schmidt, Ellis County, former 40th Dist. state senator; Donald J. Waldschmidt, Hays; and Kent Steward, Hays, former city commissioner and Hays mayor.
“A lot of locals helped build that courthouse and maybe they aren’t alive anymore but their children probably are and we invite everyone to come out that wants to be a part of this celebration,” said Klaus.
Committee member Guy Windholz, a former Ellis County Commissioner, said they are about at the halfway point of the fundraising efforts and anyone wishing to donate can do so through the Ellis County Historical Society.
The group is raising money to repair the exterior of the west side of the building including the granite deck and limestone.
In the mid-1970s, with an eye towards energy conservation, an air barrier aluminum vestibule was added to the west main entry of the courthouse. It was removed in June 2015 during renovation of the courthouse and Ellis County Law Enforcement Center. The courthouse main entrance was changed to the east side of the building.
All limestone needed for replacement has been donated, according to Windholz. Check the group’s Facebook page for more history and donation information.
(Video courtesy Guy Windholz)
