A rededication ceremony was held Oct. 1 outside the Webster County Courthouse.

The green and copper colors of the clock tower atop the Webster County Courthouse stood in contrast to the afternoon’s gray sky as a group of officials, Masons and citizens celebrated the restoration of the downtown landmark.

The top hat-wearing grand master of Iowa’s Masons presided over a rededication ceremony in front of the courthouse at 701 Central Ave., following the $6 million restoration job.

“May the structure here erected have been contrived by wisdom, executed in strength and adorned with beauty,” said Grand Master William W. Post, of West Des Moines. “May it long be preserved as a monument of the energy and liberality of its founders and of this free and enlightened government under whose protecting care it is our privilege to live.”

-Messenger file photo
John M. Lizer, grand marshal of the Masons in Iowa, proclaims that the ceremonial cornerstone is square, level and plumb during the Webster County Courthouse rededication ceremony in October.

The current courthouse, completed in 1902, was not the first one in Webster County. Former Webster County Supervisor Bob Singer summarized the history of courthouses in Fort Dodge.

The first of those courthouses, he said, was completed in 1861. He said it measured 50-by-100 feet and cost just under $50,000 to build.

According to Singer, in 1899 the county recorder stated that the county would have to stop storing records or move out of the courthouse.

In 1900, he said, the Board of Supervisors decided to build a new courthouse, which is the one that stands today.

While the design has withstood the test of time, the woodwork in the clock tower and its copper covering wore out. The massive restoration project, which encased the courthouse in scaffolding for about a year, was launched to fix those problems.

Neumann Brothers of Des Moines had a $6,160,000 contract for the job.

Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell acknowledged the key role fellow Supervisor Nick Carlson had in the project. “Without him, I don’t think we would be here,” Campbell said. “He was the lead on this project and spent a lot of time with the architect and the contractors.”

The rededication ceremony was full of the rituals of the Masons’ Grand Lodge of Iowa. Masons, including some carrying swords and pikes, formed a procession in front of the courthouse.

A ceremonial cornerstone placed on a table was the focus of the Masons. Post said that cornerstone was found to be “well-formed, true and trusty and correctly laid, according to the rules of our ancient craft.”