Courthouses of the USDC
The choice of sites for the United States District Court has been no simple matter. Convenience, activity, and accessibility have been just a few of the considerations in choosing a site for what may be the only federal court building in an entire state. When the federal government was looking around for locations in New Hampshire in 1789, Exeter and Portsmouth recommended themselves for those reasons. Portsmouth was a busy port with many shipbuilding yards and Exeter was the capital of New Hampshire during the Revolutionary War. During its first sixty years the district court alternated between the two towns, sitting in each four times a year.
In 1791, the town of Exeter completed work on a new court house to be used by the federal and local courts. It was a wooden building, standing at the widened end of Court Street, today called Front Street. The roadways which completely surrounded the courthouse led to complaints about the level of noise so the building was moved further west in 1834. Moving this large heavy building was not an easy task. It was accomplished by placing the building on rollers and using two long lines of oxen to pull it to its new location. In 1841 the building burned down due to an exhibition called the "Burning of Moscow". The fires used in this exhibition caused the fire which destroyed the building.
The citizens of Exeter appropriated three thousand five hundred dollars for a new building to serve as town hall and courthouse. It was constructed on the same site as the old wooden courthouse. Whether the district court ever met there is uncertain because the court moved to Concord at approximately the same time. The second courthouse in Exeter still stands and houses the Town Library.
At Portsmouth the district court met in the building we know today as the Old State House. Built in 1758, the Old State House used to be located on "the Parade," what is now Market Square. The Old State House has always held an important place in New Hampshire's history. It was the sight of demonstrations and protests throughout the eighteenth century. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were first read and ratified by New Hampshire's citizens, and it was at the Old State House that people gathered to hear news of victory in the Revolutionary War. The Old State House was also used as a place for celebration and as a reception area where legislators entertained such noteworthy guests as George Washington. The building was removed in 1836. The small section of the building that survived has been painstakingly rebuilt from the few photographs available. This small portion of the Old State House has been moved to Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth and can be seen today on Court Street.
The Old State House, a drawing by Sidney Quinn
When the district court first began to meet in Concord, sometime around 1840, it used the county courthouse in the old Town Hall building. But with Concord's position as state capitol assured, a federal building was commissioned to house the district court, the circuit court, and the Post Office. The first federal building was completed in 1889. It was designed by federal architects Melville Bell and James Jill, designer of the United States Treasury building. The use of select Concord granite in the construction of this building reportedly convinced the federal government to use Concord granite for the Library of Congress.
The first federal building, located by New Hampshire's current State House, is now known as the Legislative Office Building. Rumor contends that the transfer from this first building was brought about in large part by Judge Charles E. Wyzanski. Judge Wyzanski, of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, was sitting by designation in the old courthouse when he proclaimed that he would never again sit at the bench of the United States District Court in New Hampshire until a better and more pleasant courthouse was substituted or built.
Work began on the new federal building in Concord in January of 1965. Located on the corner of Pleasant and South Streets, the building was designed by John D. Detley and the firm of Koehler & Isaak. The district court moved there in September of 1967. Dedicated to a long-time New Hampshire Congressman, the James C. Cleveland Federal Building houses many federal agencies that serve New Hampshire. An annex to this building is in the planning stage right now. The annex is to be equal in size to the Cleveland Building and is scheduled to be completed by late 1995.
An additional courthouse for the Federal District Court for the District of New Hampshire was established in Littleton in 1892. The regular district judges would take turns, each serving a term in Littleton. Frequently a visiting judge was sent there to hold court. Littleton was a favorite of the judges, in part because it was located in a skiing area. In the early 1980's the federal government discontinued its use of the Littleton courthouse.
