Beaver Territorial Courthouse

Beaver Territorial Courthouse, considered one of the finest examples of Pioneer architecture, was designed by K.A. Kletting in the Queen Ann style with Victorian overtones and constructed under the direction of William Stokes, a Union army soldier stationed at nearby Fort Cameron. Built of local materials between 1877 and 1882, twenty-one years after Beaver was settled, the building originally cost $10,900 and was a three-storied structure with a deep basement of black volcanic rock, upper walls of red brick, and a tower with a striking clock facing all four directions that chimed hourly. Beaver had been proclaimed the seat of the Second District Territorial Court in September 1870, and during that time the courthouse served as the center of justice for a vast territory bordered by the Colorado River on the east and south and Nevada Territory on the west. Over the years, additions to the original structure included vaults and a county jail of pink sandstone. After Utah gained statehood in 1896, it became known as the Beaver County Courthouse. The building survived a fire in 1889, an earthquake in 1901, and planned demolition in 1970 after a new courthouse was built. It was saved through the efforts of the Beaver Company Daughters of Utah Pioneers, whose committee of Susie Beeson, Clerynth Larson, Lulu T. Tanner, Viola Yardley, Phoebe Warby, Alta C Hickman, Margery Mackrell, Delia Nowers, Beatrice Hurst, and Jessie Ward petitioned state senators and county commissioners to preserve it. On December 5, 1974, county officials and DUP signed a 100-year lease that saved the courthouse. The building is now used as a DUP Pioneer Museum, and renovations were completed in 2010.

Beaver, Utah · United States