The commissioners chose the former course, but the destructive work of time could not be
stayed—in 1894, the commissioners asked for and received authority to raze the old courthouse
and build a new one. For this purpose, $20,000 was allowed plus whatever the remains of
the old building might bring.¹² According to Noble, the total amount of the contract entered
into with Slemmons and Lankford of Salisbury was $21,000.¹³ Joseph H. Bernard of Greens-
boro was the architect. This building which is still in use as the county courthouse was erected
in 1895 on the site of the old one. It has proved to be adequate to the needs of the County,
but despite the beauty of the green on which it stands and the pleasant interior decor and
furnishings—a great deal of this is due to the fine taste and abiding interest of the late
Judge J. Owen Knotts—it remains a product of the late Victorian era, one of the most
undistinguished periods in Maryland architecture.

12 Ch. 605.

13 Op. cit., p. 13. 49