The 78-year-old resident of Goodman, in southwestern Missouri, knew about the unusual lease agreement his ancestors had signed with Connecticut officials in 1803. Beckwith never thought Connecticut would abandon the landmark 1889 courthouse, which features a Seth Thomas clock tower and lies along the historic Litchfield Green. “It was certainly startling.”The state closed the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on Aug. 25 and transferred operations to a new $80 million courthouse a few miles away in Torrington. “In 40 years of practice, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Rybak, who has advocated since the late 1970s to keep the Litchfield courthouse open amid various plans to close it. It’s time.”The courthouse is the most prominent landmark in the Litchfield Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: National Post September 03, 2017 13:07 UTC