Jefferson County Courthouse Celebrates 75 Years

From the wonderful sounds of the Sweet Adelines to the fabulous food, the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Jefferson County Courthouse was an event to remember. Some 400-plus guests gathered Dec. 7, 2006, including many county retirees. Every county employee received beautiful commemorative coins depicting the Art Deco 14-story courthouse.
Former Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith, Jr., served as master of ceremonies, and Amy Lambert and Derek Satchell from the Texas Historical Commission gave compelling and informational presentations to all gathered in the historic 317th District Court. Other participants included County Commissioner Eddie Arnold, County Judge-Elect Ron Walker, and Reverend Wanda Bess, pastor of the McCabe Roberts United Methodist Church.
A continuous PowerPoint presentation created by Adrienne Dold of Jefferson County MIS displayed the architectural features of the building.
After the ceremony, guests toured designated courtrooms featuring sculpted ornamentation and marble interior work.
The courthouse, designed by Fred Stone and A. Babin, was opened to the public in 1931. The courthouse features brick, stone, marble and terra cotta on the exterior with terrazzo floors, masonry, and plaster walls and ceilings on the interior, embellished with marble and fine woods from around the world.
Celebration Committee members included Jane Birge, Commissioner Eddie Arnold, Patricia Nantz, Shelia Perkins, Linda McMahen, Brent Weaver, Angie Batchelor, Tam Mire, Cynthia Perkins, Adrienne Dold and Theresa Goodness.
Special appreciation and thanks go to the event sponsors for their contributions that offset most of the cost for the event; to the Beaumont Maintenance Department for their preparation of the courtrooms and the courthouse, inside and out; and to the many volunteers for their time and talents who helped make this an anniversary celebration to remember.