SUNBURY - Magisterial District Judge Hugh Alan Jones, who was among the officials sworn into office Tuesday, discussed the recent return of two important pieces of history to Courtroom No. 1.
Jones, a well-known local historian and attorney from Mount Carmel, discussed at the end of the inauguration ceremonies an oil painting portrait of Alexander Jordan, the first elected judge in Northumberland County, and an American eagle symbol.
Jones said the portrait was donated to the county when the courtroom opened in 1866 and remained there for many years before it was lost after being removed for renovations. He said the painting was returned to the county in 2004 by the Northumberland County Historical Society, which had acquired it from the Kauffman Library in Sunbury.
He said nobody knew who was depicted in the portrait until the historical society obtained it.
Jones said Jordan was elected the first judge in the county in 1850. Prior to that time, county judges were appointed by the governor. He said Jordan Township was named after the judge.
The portrait was recently installed on the wall in the back of the courtroom.
Jones also was instrumental in helping obtain a new American eagle symbol to replace one that hung above the judge's bench after being donated to the courthouse by Joseph Bird of Northumberland in 1867.
He said the original eagle symbol, whose wing spread measured 6 feet, stood on a shield with the stars and stripes. It was made by Earle and Son of Philadelphia at a cost of $100.
Jones explained that when the historical society filmed the trial of Peter McManus of Molly Maguire fame about seven years ago, attempts were made to obtain an eagle so the courtroom would resemble the period in 1878 when the actual trial took place.
Under the direction of Northumberland County President Judge Robert B. Sacavage, who played Judge Rockefeller in the film, Jones said a new eagle symbol was purchased in October 2011 in Rhode Island and recently installed behind the judge's bench.
Jones dedicated the American eagle symbol to deceased members of the Northumberland County Bar Association who practiced before the bench and sat behind it, while dedicating their lives to the practice of law.
Jones, who noted Courtroom No. 2 wasn't added to the courthouse until 1914 when the county population had significantly increased, said Courtroom No. 1 served as one of the largest assembly halls in the county and also was used for political conventions and public events. He said the architecture remains similar today, with the exception of a balcony that is no longer in the back of the room.
He said the courthouse has undergone many renovations through the years, the most extensive in 1914.