Inside the red-brick courthouse at 1 West Market Street, the evidence of age is everywhere: plaster slipping from ornate ceilings, stubborn paint refusing to hold, and an HVAC system old enough to have been declared obsolete back when flip phones were the newest thing. The sounds of its failing equipment echo through the corridors–a mechanical cough that has kept parts of the building empty and forced documents, some irreplaceable, into damp storage.

“It was the prime catalyst,” said Commissioner Kevin Kodish, referring to the HVAC system that finally drove the project forward. “System failures have led to plaster falling from decorative ceilings, multiple paint adhesion issues, and the facility being underused due to the poor conditions, equipment failures, and loud noise. The existing systems were upgraded in the early 2000s, and they have all exceeded their useful life.”

Now, the courthouse is set for a major overhaul, with work funded not by local taxpayers but by a pair of hard-won grants. “We are using two grants to pay for this project, so no general funds will need to be spent,” Kodish said. More than half of the funding comes from the USDA, with the rest from Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The total cost is set at $2 million, which covers upgrades to the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

At stake is more than climate control or lower electric bills. The courthouse is home to the Mifflin County Historical Society, the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau.

Sentinel photo by LIV SUYDAM
A shed outside of the historic courthouse in Lewistown will temporarily house items from the Mifflin County Historical Society’s research library.

Downstairs, the research library holds original archives, visited by genealogists, historians, and scholars tracing the faint lines of the county’s past. The fragile documents–many stored in the building’s airless basement–are threatened by the same failing systems that have made daily work uncomfortable for staff and visitors.

“The poor indoor air quality and lack of airflow in the basement are detrimental to the health of the building’s occupants within the entire building and the historic books currently being stored in the basement,” Kodish said. Even the lighting–mostly fluorescent and incandescent–has become a liability, both for the collections and the county’s energy bills. “The building’s existing water heater has exceeded its useful life,” Kodish adds, ticking off another item on a long list.

J-Way Architectural was called in to assess the building and plan the work. The courthouse spans 16,000 square feet, counting a partial basement and the familiar clock and bell tower. It’s a designated national landmark, officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

With so much history under one roof, the commission’s approach is careful: preserve what can be saved, replace what can’t, and above all, make sure the courthouse remains both a working public space and a living connection to the county’s heritage.

“There’s no way around it,” Kodish said. “This building has helped shape the character of the county and has been an important fabric of the county’s society for almost two centuries. The building provides a link to the roots of the county and its residents. Preserving the building contributes to the local economy while providing environmental and educational benefits.”

Sentinel photo by LIV SUYDAM
A shed outside of the historic courthouse in Lewistown will temporarily house items from the Mifflin County Historical Society’s research library.

There is a certain weight to a project like this, something heavier than dollars or dust. Every artifact moved, every inch of wiring or pipe replaced, is a small decision about what to keep and what to risk. Before any work can begin, the Historical Society faces the task of moving out, a logistical puzzle involving decades’ worth of “stuff”–documents, photographs, memorabilia, and rare books that must be protected and preserved through the construction. While renovations are underway, the Historical Society’s research library will be closed.

The mechanical system may be the most urgent concern, but there’s an awareness that the building itself is more than brick and timber. It is a presence in the square, a silent witness to the county’s high points and lows. It has survived wars, weathered economic change, and outlasted every official who has ever worked inside. It stands for continuity, a notion not always fashionable but always necessary.

It would be easier, Kodish admits, to let the courthouse fade into disrepair, to cede the ground to something modern and efficient. “But you’d lose something you can’t get back,” he said. “Preserving the historic, architectural, and aesthetic character of this building preserves the heritage of the county, Pennsylvania, and the nation.”

Work will begin with the quiet effort of removal–clearing the archives, emptying offices, shutting down systems that have been limping along for years. There will be inconvenience, Kodish concedes, but it is the price of renewal.

In a time when so much seems disposable, the courthouse is an argument for patience and stewardship. For Lewistown and the surrounding towns, it remains a landmark, facing the square as it has since 1843–its columns catching the afternoon sun, its clock ticking off the hours, marking both history and the hope that someone will still be listening when the next century arrives.