To the editor: I recently saw it reported there is a potential interested party in the courthouse property off the Clarkesville square. It seems inquiries have been slow to this point and this potential buyer may not move forward, however at some point I am confident a plan for the building or the site in general will come forward.
I know that sometime after the courthouse building was constructed in the 1960’s a poorly conceived bell tower was added to the front of the building to house the bell and clockworks removed from the old courthouse before it was demolished.
This was done primarily to appease the citizens with torches after the old courthouse was demolished, and about the same time the gazebo was constructed to cover a water fountain that had broken and become a mosquito nest. Thank goodness someone thought to save the bell and clockworks. The clock worked for a few years and the bell rang the hour, but at some point, they quit working.
I am hoping that if the bell and clockworks are still in the tower, the county will make the effort to preserve them again before the building is sold or demolished unless the buyer has a plan for preservation that does not include maintaining the inappropriate bell tower. Perhaps they could be transferred to the upper level of the entrance portal to the new courthouse. Even if the clockworks are deteriorated beyond restoration, the bell should be saved and preserved for future generations and rung for special occasions like Clarkesville’s upcoming bicentennial.
I don’t expect the county in their current financial condition to commit a large amount of money toward this, but if proceeds are received maybe a small portion could be allocated to remove and store the bell and clockworks until a public campaign could be mounted to preserve and provide a proper display. Maybe even one of our local industries with a deep history in Habersham County and roots in Clarkesville (hint) could spearhead a donation effort to preserve and transfer them to a proper display. Just a thought. Too much of our history has been lost because someone thought it was too expensive to preserve and once it is gone you can never get it back.
Don Nix
Clarkesville