Memphis, MO – On October 22, 1907, the cornerstone of the Scotland County Courthouse was laid in the town square in Memphis, Missouri.
Despite overcast skies and rain, more than 100 people filled the courthouse's second floor courtroom, 100 years later, to take part in a celebration.
Gary Dial has worked in the Scotland County Courthouse for nearly three decades: first as an attorney and now as the Presiding Judge of the First Judicial Circuit.
He says a lot of changes and upgrades have been made to the courthouse.
The current location is the third within Memphis for the Scotland County Courthouse.
Special Guest Speaker, US District Court Judge E. Richard Webber, who graduated from Memphis High School, told those in attendance that the courthouse has been around for so long that when it was built, gasoline was $0.06/gallong and a stamp cost $0.02.
While Scotland County is celebrating the 100th birthday of its courthouse, a group of citizens is trying to restore a key component of the facility.
Chairperson Batina Dodge says the Scotland County Community Betterment Group is working to raise nearly $50,000 to restore the clock that sits atop the courthouse.
Dodge says the Scotland County Community Betterment Group is applying for a state grant that would pay for a portion of the project.
Once the money has been secured, she says it will take an expert from Minnesota about eight to ten months to restore the clock.
She says the clock was added to the Scotland County Courthouse about one year after its cornerstone was laid.
Dodge says the goal is to have the clock restored in time for its 100th birthday next summer.