Situated on Town Square adjacent to Plymouth’s historic Congregational and Unitarian churches and the colonial Burial Hill cemetery, the structure today known as the ‘1749 Court House’ enjoys high visibility and ample traffic. Originally erected in 1749 as Plymouth County’s courthouse, the structure was used jointly by the county and the town until 1820, when a new courthouse was built. The building was used as town offices for the next 120 years. In 1970, after two decades of disuse, the Court House was restored and opened to the public as a municipally-operated historical museum, and still serves as such today.

 

Our firm was engaged by the Town of Plymouth in 2019 to oversee replacement of the courthouse’s roof and selective repairs to exterior wood trim. The aim of the project was twofold: (a) to protect the structure and interior finishes from accelerating water damage and (b) to improve the building’s outward appearance. The existing asphalt roof was fully replaced with Alaskan yellow shingles for historical accuracy, and historically-appropriate copper flashings, gutters, and trim were fabricated and installed. Work also included selective repair and painting of exterior wood trim as well as structural repairs to timber trusses and purlins. The project was generously funded by the Town of Plymouth’s Community Preservation fund.