The Pomeroy Historic Preservation Committee
Pomeroy, Garfield County, Washington

This view shows an early view, unpainted, of the Garfield County Courthouse Courthouse. This same postcard, but a different copy because the pencil writing is not there has been seen on eBay annotated with "Postally Used, PM 1907".

I am placing this shot of the Garfield County Courthouse between the 1907 shot above and the 1912 based on what's been painted and what hasn't. Also the River Rock that holds up the laws hasn't been concreted over yet, as in the next picture. Unfortunately the image is small. I wonder if the man on the lawn is an early tourist or perhaps a native Pomeroyite.

1913/1923

The eBay description of this postcard "This is a real photo postcard that shows a view of the Court House in Pomeroy, Washington. No. 5. Garfield is written on the building. Sent to Miss Edith Harding in Savannah Missouri from Ora. Used in 1923, divided back." The same card was in another eBay auction where it was described as having been cancelled "July 3, 1913."

Taken from the roof of the Hotel Revere, here is Main Street and the Garfield County Courthouse.

This picture has been dated (by ??) as the 1930s.

From the 1940s, here's yet another picture of an unpainted brick Court House.

From the Early 1940's?

I don't remember and didn't take note of who sent this to me, but this is the only picture I have with what appears to be some kind of a message or bill board on the Courty House lawn.

According to the eBay description of this item, it was postmarked in 1954.

Undated, but still unpainted.

Now we jump a bit in years to the mid '70s. This picture was taken by Florence Sherfey to illustrate her book This Was Their Time, still the definitive popular history of Pomeroy. The picture quality isn't that good, but it's obvious that this building could disappear in a snowdrift.

I'm not sure where this image came from, but a relatively new picture as Governor Cosgrove has been replaced by the Civil War soldier. Notice how the beautiful reddish brick has become white.  

During a windy storm in Pomeroy early in 2003, the scales of justice were knocked off the statue on top of the Courthouse. They were reattached during June 2003. According to Judge William Acey of the Hells Canyon Circuit Court there are only 14 "Unblinded" Justice statues on court house across the U.S. and 4 of them are in SE Washington, with Pomeroy having one and the Columbia County Court House in Dayton having two.

This picture was taken by John Gordon on Christmas eve, 2008, during one of the worst winters in recent history

This is the original statue that sat on the lawn of the Courthouse. It is (barely) seen in some of the postcards above.

Now for something a little bit different...

The Pomeroy Train Depot

Dated about 1910 by seller. (Scan from ebay) According to Florence Sherfey (This Was Their Time), 

"They [Pomeroyites] appealed to the O.R.&N. Company for the removal of this depot but the railroad company turned deaf ears to this project and it was not moved into Pomeroy until the year 1911. 

"After all other requests for the new depot had failed, Senator Stevenson secured an order directing the company to build a new depot in town. Since the location selected was in the fire ordinance area which permitted only buildings of brick being built, the new depot was built of attractive "durable", red brick."