The Chatham County, North Carolina courthouse, under reconstruction, caught fire on March 25. Twenty-four hours later, firefighters were still working to stamp out smoldering fires inside the historic building. Luckily, the county's vital records were not stored inside the building and are presumed to be safe. (A backup copy was made on microfilm some years ago as well and copies of those microfilms are stored at several locations.)
The Chatham Historical Society was also housed in the first floor of the building and the status of the Society's many holdings are not yet known but the assumption is that most everything was lost. The building's brick exterior still stands but most all od the interior was destroyed, including the county court chambers with their mahogany walls and antique fittings. The courthouse was built in 1881, and was last restored 20 years ago. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Chatham Historical Society was also housed in the first floor of the building and the status of the Society's many holdings are not yet known but the assumption is that most everything was lost. The building's brick exterior still stands but most all od the interior was destroyed, including the county court chambers with their mahogany walls and antique fittings. The courthouse was built in 1881, and was last restored 20 years ago. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
You can read more at http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7306330/ and at http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/index
My thanks to the several newsletter readers who wrote to let me know of this tragedy.
