I thought I'd dig into my stash of courthouse photographs to ask a question related to a story that's making the rounds today. Where is this courthouse and what story is it (rather remotely) related to?
Courthouse Trivia
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County Courthouse Delaware PA?
Delaware County District Court Folsom, PA
You got it exactly, Martha and Anon! Great going. It's the Delaware County Court in Media, Pennsylvania. Now…what's the story this is connected to?
New judges and county officers being sworn in?
Nice guess anon, but this is taken from today's New York Times and it streches back more than forty years. The courthouse is really a bit player in the story (a tiny bit player).
I found it finally *before I saw your post :)! The FBI break-in story.
Yes, exactly — nicely done! Here's a link to the story: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/us/burglars-who-took-on-fbi-abandon-shadows.html
I grew up near Media and don't ever remember hearing this story before. (The FBI office was in a building near the courthouse, which is why I thought of the courthouse when I read the story. The video on the Times' website shows the building and I know that building — I think it's an apartment/condo building now. Been a few years since I was by there, so my memory's a little hazy on this.)
Ah yes, I read that story earlier today. Fascinating!
I made the news-story connection at a Wikipedia page for Media, PA, which, as it turns out, also has a photo of the courthouse.
I hadn't looked at the wikipedia page for Media, anon, until you mentioned it. Quite a nice page with a lot of great photographs. I want to say that the courthouse image on the wikipedia page is for a different side of the courthouse from what I have. I wish my memory were better on this, but I think that's maybe a somewhat older part of the courthouse. Next time I'm in the land of hoagies and Wawas (as Governor Romney would say) I hope to get over to Media and get some more photographs. There's a Civil War monument at the courthouse, as I recall. So really need to add that to my stock of photographs. I love the Media theater — they have live theater there now, as I recall. And the trolley, too.
There's a lot in Delaware County for sure. I was at the Chester Rural Cemetery a couple years back — really a lovely place. Don't know as I ever blogged about that trip, but maybe I'll get something up on that sometime. That was the same trip where I saw the Chester jail (which is right next to a casino.) And right near there is the Caleb Pusey House, which I used as a trivia question a while back. I guess Rockdale's in Delaware County, too.
This very morning, as I was out on my walk, a bent up and twisted plastic bottle rested on the ground. It is considered as timeless message. Yes, land.
Media, PA looks quaint. I have never been to Pennsylvania, even though I am a native of Ohio. (I have been in Texas since a young age.) My mental impressions of rural-ish PA come mainly from John Updike novels. On a final note, I was intrigued by the advanced courses you teach/have taught. Unfortunately, my law school did not offer courses that focused on history and the law. My leisure reading (post-graduation) consists of a lot of books about slavery, civil rights Hx, con law, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Now I know of another author I can read. Thx.
Pennsylvania is a really beautiful state — and there are still parts of Delaware County that are well preserved from development. Tyler Arborteum is one of my favorite places there. Haven't been in years, but maybe one of my trips home I'll get to walk it again. And thanks a ton for the kind words about my work!