The decorative fence posts came from the original 1876 courthouse, and the statues stood atop the 1912 courthouse. Bakersfield's first courthouse was built in 1876 at the corner of Chester and Truxtun Avenue, where it served as both a courthouse and a hall of records. In 1912, when a new courthouse was constructed across the street, the county sold the old courthouse to the City of Bakersfield for use as city hall. Both the old and new courthouses were damaged in the 1952 earthquake and then demolished. After the earthquake, the Kern County Museum acquired the fencing from the original 1876 courthouse and the sentry statues from the 1912 courthouse.