1841 Goshen Courthouse

1841 Goshen Courthouse
The courthouse from across the street
1841 Goshen Courthouse is located in New York
1841 Goshen Courthouse
1841 Goshen Courthouse is located in the United States
1841 Goshen Courthouse
Location101 Main St., Goshen, New York
Nearest cityMiddletown
Coordinates41°24′09″N 74°19′20″W / 41.40250°N 74.32222°W / 41.40250; -74.32222
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1841 (1841)
ArchitectThornton M. Niven
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.75001219[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 1975

The 1841 Goshen Courthouse is located along Main Street (NY 207) in the center of Goshen, New York, the seat of Orange County, New York, United States. It was designed by popular local architect Thornton M. Niven in a Greek Revival style, meant to be a twin of the one he had already built in Newburgh, which at that time shared seat duties with the larger city.[2] Construction of the building was approved by the county legislature in April 1841 and began shortly thereafter.[3]

During construction of the building, the remains of American Revolutionary War Loyalist guerilla leader Claudius Smith were rumored to have been found on the site and his skull embedded in the masonry above the front door.[4][5] A plaque commemorating his hanging in Goshen and the associated tradition was dedicated at the site in 2016.[5]

It was used as a courthouse until 1970, when the recently constructed Orange County Government Center made more space available. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1] It is also a contributing property to the Church Park Historic District.

As of 2007, an annex to the courthouse houses offices of the Orange County Department of Consumer Affairs and other offices.[6] In 2011, after the Orange County Government Center was damaged by Hurricane Irene, three Supreme Court judges relocated their cases to the courthouse.[7] In 2015, county officials announced a $2.9 million plan to improve insulation and handicap accessibility over the course of approximately a year.[8]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2016-02-01. Note: This includes Steven S. Levy (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Lower Dock Hill Road Stone Arch Bridge" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-02-01. and Accompanying photographs
  3. ^ Ruttenber, E. M.; Clark, L. H. (1881). History of Orange County, New York: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Heart of the Lakes Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 9780932334336. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. ^ Farnsworth, Cheri (2010). Haunted Hudson Valley: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of New York's Sleepy Hollow Country. Stackpole Books. p. 35. ISBN 9780811736213. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b Sweetman, Jennie (November 5, 2017). "Historic marker dedicated for Smith, 'Cowboy of the Ramapos'". New Jersey Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  6. ^ McKenna, Chris (December 5, 2007). "Orange buildings gain accessibility". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  7. ^ Yakin, Heather (September 20, 2011). "Orange County judges play musical chairs". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  8. ^ "1841 Courthouse renovation begins". Chelsea News. January 29, 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2019.