I was rolling with Krissy4884 and Godot that morning, and as the winding back roads took us off into the country, we wondered, "Where the heck are we going?" But the trees turned into houses, and the houses turned into the courthouse and other county government buildings. There's a historic courthouse in town, but the … Continue reading 824. Dover, Strafford County (NH04) →

A good night's sleep had prepared me and the fellowship for the hard New Hampshire morning. [NB: it was not hard.] I had expected something more historical as courthouses go. Every courthouse in the Northeast seemed either really old or really new. Of course, that was not always the case because architectural revival styles are … Continue reading 823. Concord, Merrimack County (NH03) →

I thought the courthouse was nice enough, but not without problems. I couldn't really find a good vantage from which to photograph it, so I had trouble getting the very top of the tower in the shot. The best I could manage included the tower, but it was still obscured by an unfortunately placed tree … Continue reading 822. Saint Johnsbury, Caledonia County (VT07) →

Or perhaps this would be more aptly titled "Ayer's Cliff, Quebec." I crossed the border into Canada for the first time in just over a year. It was quite a thrill getting here. There's a little thing in the back of my head that has always doubted I'd make it back. But here we were. … Continue reading The Great White North 2 (Electric Boogaloo) →

This was a nice little piece of architecture. Romanesque and Queen Anne Revival. I wasn't deeply focused on the courthouse, not because I didn't care, but because we were on the way to something special, one of the features that would define our trip. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We had to take care … Continue reading 821. Newport, Orleans County (VT06) →

The foggy morning made for an interesting framing of the courthouse. No doubt, if it had been white, it would have been ethereal, pulled into the background. The red brick, on the other hand, popped out and made for a decent early morning shot. I could use this as a warning to the Future Arborists … Continue reading 820. Hyde Park, Lamoille County (VT05) →

It was quite dark by the time we got to the courthouse. The portico lights interfered a bit with photography, and it's possible that I may have gotten a better shot from another angle, but quite honestly, I've taken far worse photos. Besides, nobody was there to play about. Even I was a bit knackered. … Continue reading 819. Middlebury, Madison County (VT04) →

I was greeted by attractive red brick at the Rutland County Courthouse.  If you’re into Classical Revival, this is the courthouse for you!  Maybe.  I had to take a photo from the car because we were rushing, so I didn’t have time to walk around.  We had far more important things to attend to. We … Continue reading 818. Rutland, Rutland County (VT03) →

Bennington is another county with dual county seats, but I had to give short shrift to it today; I only got the courthouse in Manchester.  Hitting courthouses was a big enough ask as it was.  I wasn’t going to drag people to a second, out-of-the-way courthouse.  I’m demanding, but I’m not a monster.  A big … Continue reading 817. Bennington/Manchester, Bennington County (VT02) →

Oh, Vermont! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: what is it about small towns and great courthouses?  Vermont didn’t start out with counties; it had shires.  The first general assembly established counties in 1778, but older terminology remains to an extent.  Consequently, Newfane isn’t technically a county seat; it’s a shire town.  … Continue reading 816. Newfane, Windham County (VT01) →