UPPER SANDUSKY, Ohio - As they watch their neighbors to the north in Seneca County debate the fate of their historic courthouse, a group of residents in Wyandot County wants to help keep their courthouse off the endangered buildings list.
The Shawshank Redemption Reunion - a nonprofit group formed by locals who worked as extras in the 1993 movie filmed, in part, at the courthouse in Upper Sandusky - plans to present a check for $10,000 tonight to the Wyandot County commissioners.
The money will go toward repairing the statue of Lady Justice that adorns the courthouse dome.
"They're an asset that can't be duplicated," Bill Mullen, a local business owner, said of county courthouses. "Ours is quite beautiful."
While much of The Shawshank Redemption was filmed in and around Mansfield, Ohio, filmmakers packed up and came to Upper Sandusky to shoot the courtroom scenes for an obvious reason, Mr. Mullen said.
In 1969, Richland County tore down its century-old courthouse and replaced it with a bland-looking contemporary building.
As former Wyandot County court reporter Carolyn Law told The Blade in a 1993 interview, filmmakers came to Upper Sandusky and "fell in love with our courtroom.
"It still has the original 1900s decor," she said. "We have the old judge's chair. The seats in the jury box are the old leather chairs. We have a stained glass dome that they just loved."
Mr. Mullen said a three-day reunion of extras and others involved in the making of the film was held in Mansfield, Upper Sandusky, and Ashland in August.
The event raised some $10,000, which the group agreed to donate for ongoing renovations at Wyandot County's 1899 courthouse.
The film's director, Frank Darabont, sent a check for $1,000 as well as some signed memorabilia from the film, which was auctioned off during the reunion, Mr. Mullen said.
"We really are not as fortunate as a lot of cities - this courthouse is what we have, so that's why we're pretty protective of it," he said. "We don't have another building of the stature of our courthouse."
Wyandot County Commissioner Joyce Morehart said the board plans to take Lady Justice down for repairs in January, a project that will cost an estimated $23,000.
"The big windstorm last year blew off a part of [Lady Justice's] skirt," Ms. Morehart said. "Before that, over the years her scales were gone and some of the other stuff has blown off."
All told, commissioners are looking at spending more than $1.4 million over the next few years to make repairs to the courthouse roof, clock tower, copper dome, and masonry faade.
Ms. Morehart said she has followed Seneca County's predicament, which stemmed from a long-running neglect of the courthouse in Tiffin.
She said she is committed to keeping her local courthouse in good condition.
"I have been a member of the convention and visitors bureau for probably 15 years, and I know firsthand that we have a very nice courthouse that's been kept up," she said. "It was designed good to begin with, and we have a lot of people come through the courthouse and commend us on the condition of it and how nice it looks."
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-353-5972.
First Published December 16, 2008, 10:42 a.m.
