[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     100TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHESTERFIELD COUNTY'S HISTORIC COURTHOUSE

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                             HON. DAVE BRAT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2017

  Mr. BRAT. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the centennial of Chesterfield 
County's historic courthouse. This building is a point of pride for the 
county of Chesterfield and is an official Historic Landmark for 
Chesterfield and the commonwealth of Virginia.
   The Chesterfield Courthouse sits where the original 1749 colonial 
courthouse once stood. It took only a mere eight months to build the 
1917 Courthouse and began hearing cases shortly after construction. The 
bell from the 1749 Colonial courthouse has been carefully preserved and 
is the oldest historic artifact in Chesterfield County. It currently 
stands on display at the Chesterfield County Museum. The bell is, in 
fact, three years older than the great Liberty Bell.
   The Courthouse is more than a well-preserved Landmark, it is a 
symbol of our great history. When it was built in 1917, it was one of 
the first preservation struggles in our nation. It was the place where 
WWI draftees camped out as they waited to ship out to training camps. 
It has and will continue to represent the critical third branch of 
government where it still hears cases to this day, 100 years later.
   A centennial anniversary is a great accomplishment and is worth 
recognition and appreciation. It is necessary for our culture and 
history to be preserved and remembered; whether that be in the abstract 
of our ideals and principles, or in the physical; such as the 
Chesterfield Courthouse. Behind the physical buildings is where our 
principles and values lie. For this reason, I want to recognize the 100 
year anniversary of the historic courthouse in Chesterfield, Virginia.

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