The first courthouse in the Territoral County of Washington, in Minnesota was built on the corner of 4th St and Chestnut in 1848. The territory was growing quickly, and a larger space was needed, so the city bought Zion Hill for $5. The building that stands at 101 West Pine St in Stillwater was started in 1867, but the county commissioners could not agree on the amount of the bond. The work was stopped, until they could finally agree on the bond. In 1868 a scaffold collapsed during work, injuring 2 workers, and killing one bricklayer. The cupola on the top of the building was reused, from the first courthouse. The final cost for the building was $55,257! A new jail addition was built in 1900 for $9867. The courthouse was in use until 1975, when the county offices moved to their current location. Today the building is on the National Register of historic places. The courthouse is open to the public M-W from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, Th and F from 9 AM to 6 PM, and Sat from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. Check for closure on government holidays. Some of the answers will require entry into the building, so Plan accordingly. Free Guided tours are available as well.
To log a find for this cache you will need to tour the inside of the building to find some of the answers, so note the public hours. Please email/ message me the answers to the following questions.
----In Room 4 The portrait on the wall, who is the subject of the picture?
--- In the hall leading to the jail, on the wall by the window is a framed text below a picture of the inmates . This text describes infamous inmates. What was the 3 first names, of those inmates?
----Outside, in the lawn to the North of the building, there is a monument dedicated to the soldiers and salors enlisted from Washington county. On the center plaque, Located just below the dedication statement is a list of names. Next to the name of John Gardner, what was his regiment?
----On the plaque by the parking lot, it states who sold the Zion Hill site to the City of Stillwater for $5. Who was it?
Feel free to post a photo of your visit, but do not include in the picture any of the answers. Enjoy your visit.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.