DAVIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE PRESERVATION FUND
Account Suspended
THE DCCPF STORY: EVENTS LEADING UP TO AND INCLUDING THE FORMATION OF THE FUND.
This is a history of events leading to the formation of the Davis County Courthouse Preservation Fund, a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to augment the County Board of Supervisor’s Budget with private funding of projects designed to preserve, enhance and protect the historical legacy and visual integrity of the Davis County, Iowa Courthouse building and grounds.
The initial meeting on November 28, 2005, was held to choose a Board of Directors representative of all areas of Davis County. Thereafter, Articles of incorporation were registered with the State of Iowa, and by-laws were adopted.
RIDING FOR THE COURTHOUSE CLOCK
Donations started coming in 2003 to repair and restore the historic courthouse tower clock and bell. Prior to 2003, the clock was stopped and the bell silenced for some time due to fears of damaging the clock mechanism, the bell, or the building structure, then approaching 130 years of age. At about the same time, the people in neighboring Appanoose County decided to restore their courthouse clock. Their clock repair expert, Mr. Rory DeMesy, was invited to view and give an opinion on the Davis County Clock. His visit was covered in a feature article in the local newspaper, the Bloomfield Democrat, and brought to light:
-
- The historic significance of this particular clock,
- Nearly all of the original parts needed to restore the clock are present in the clock room, and
- Although the clock was not running, it was not broken.
The article piqued the interest of Davis County native Linda Boatman. When the 2003 RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, sponsored by the Des Moines Register) route included an overnight stay in Bloomfield, Linda sought and received permission to solicit money in the form of cycling mileage pledges for the purpose of restoring the Bloomfield clock. Many gave generously, and the ride campaign raised $4,000. By 2005, the money had grown to $6,000 and she started to think about how to fix the clock.
The first order of business was to determine if the building structure was sound, especially in light of the fears that lead to the stopping of the clock and bell.