Commissioners say they’ll rebuild
BY TAYLOR SISK
Staff Writer
PITTSBORO – The Chatham County Courthouse, built in 1881 and, since, Pittsboro’s most distinguished landmark, caught fire around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday afternoon, and within two hours was a smoldering skeleton of its former self.
At a special session this Thursday morning, though, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners received reports of the building’s present condition and the determination that the exterior walls can be saved, and then voted unanimously to rebuild.
“The exact nature of the restoration will be determined later,†said commission vice chair George Lucier in a news release. “We will form a task force and involve the community, Pittsboro, and court personnel to help us make the best decisions. Our goal is that the fire of 2010 will be part of the history of the courthouse, not the end of it.â€
Chatham County Fire Marshall Thomas Bender reported Tuesday that the fire was started by a construction worker using a soldering iron on the building’s gutters. The exterior of the building had been undergoing renovations and was surrounded with scaffolding, and construction was under way at the time of the fire. Flames then spread to the clock tower and the east side of the roof. No one was injured.
On the evening of the fire, though, prospects of saving the courthouse appeared dim. Flames quickly engulfed the clock tower and top floor. As news helicopters hovered overhead and sirens wailed, a thin blanket of smoke, redolent of a massive campfire, wafted up Hillsboro Street, and locals gathered and watched and collectively shook their heads in mourning.
For Pittsboro, said Mayor Randy Voller, “This is the disaster of disasters. Even Sherman didn’t do this.â€
Firefighters continued to extinguish sparks into Friday. The clock tower and upper floors collapsed in the night.
“The western half of the building sustained less damage, and the Chatham Historical Association and probation offices were able to recover many artifacts and documents,†Public Works Director David Hughes told the commission on Thursday. “The eastern half of the building is severely damaged and at this point still not safe to enter and do a full assessment.†He said he was confident that all exterior walls of the structure are sound.
Commission chair Sally Kost said that county officials were working with recovery workers to ensure that historically significant items were being sorted out. Kost said the historical association, which was housed on the first floor of the building, will work to restore as many damaged items as possible. At press time, court records continued to be retrieved.