the November Session of 1709, an agreement was even made for the construction of a court-
house. But for some reason this contract was not carried out.

Then on November 4, 1710, an act was passed empowering the justices to purchase land
at Pitt's Bridge for the purpose of erecting a courthouse.⁹ Consequently, the next court, that
of January 16, 1710/11, met for this purpose at the plantation of Philemon Armstrong "near
Pitts His Bridge." Several other special courts were held here for the purpose of choosing
the site and setting a fair price. This task was concluded at a court held on March 1 of the
same year.¹⁰ The site, the same on which the present courthouse stands, was apparently
wooded, for the levy allowed a sum of money for the necessary grubbing, and a road and a
bridge had to be built.

The justices entrusted the building of the courthouse to Philemon Hemsley and their
agreement was extremely detailed:

Articles of agreement made and concluded by and between we the subscribers her
majesties Justices of Talbot County of the one part and Philemon Hemsley of Queen
Anns County Gentⁿ, of the other part Witnesseth, whereas there is a certain act of
assembly in this province entituled An Act for building and erecting a Court House for
Talbot County at or near Pitts Bridge impowering the said Justices or the major part
of them to treat and agree with undertakers or workmen for building a Court house
for the said county at the place aforesaid; In pursuance of the said act we the said
Justices hereunto subscribed, have accordingly treated and mutually agreed to and
with the said Philemon Hemsley for building a Court house on two acres of land
already laid out near Pitts Bridge for that purpose according to the Plott of the said
house drawn by the said Philemon Hemsley and the Dimensions fol: viz^t.

First. The said house to be thirty foot long in the clear and twenty foot wide in
the clear with a back building for the Seat of Judicature of twelve foot and eighteen
foot in the clear; and thirteen foot pitch from the level of the earth to the wall of
plate; the walls of the said house all around from the foundation to the water table to
be two brick thick and a brick and a half upward to the wall plate; and the gabel
ends above Joyce to be one brick thick with a small chimney in the chamber that is
over the Seat of Judicature; the said building to be built of well burnt brick Laid in
good Sufficient mortar workmanlike; the front of the said house of Smooth bricks; with
blue headers and stretchers to be rubbed from the Sills of the Windows upwards to the
wallplate with Streight arches over the windows done workmanlike; the ends and back
part of the said house to be plain good work with a hemsome Peddiment over the front
doore supported with well turned Cullums and bases of Cedar and Locust; the roof
of the S^d. house to be well shingled with Cypress Shingles sheweing mundillions in
the front barge boards at the ends; all the back eaves to be well boxt with good mould-
ing workmanlike; the front Door to be Cedar or Locust if Cedar the Sill to be Locust
with Lights over the Door worked with Archytrive on the s^d. Doore Case the front to
have archytrive Transome windows all the other windows to be plain transome windows
except the Dormers which are to be without transome; the Seat of Judicature to be
handsomele Wenscutt; with a Suitable chaire benches railes and ballisters with tables
and benches for the attorneys; with Suitable railes and ballesters round where the
Grand and Pettit jurys must Stand; with convenient Stairs for either jury to go up
Stairs at either end; as Described in the Platt; all the floor within the railes and
Seat of Judicature to be planked; all without well paved; the upper floor to be rab-
bitted or Grooved Devided into Convenient rooms with Pettitions of Plank with good
frame doors; the front doore to be a hansome Double Doore the Joyce of the said
house to be all galloping Joyce of Ten inches and four inches Square; the Rafters
Seven and four inches square at foot and four inches Square at head; the inside of
the said house or building above Stairs; and below, to be well lathed and plastered all
the windows of the said house to be well glazed with Led and Glass; Except the Lower
Lights in the transome windows in the front and End below Joyce which are to have
shetters instead of glass; all the windows front doore cullums peddiments Dorments
and Eaves of the said house and Seat of Judicature to be well primed and painted.

Secondly. The said Philemon Hemsley doth promise to compleat and finish the s^d.

9 Ch. 5. 10 The minutes of these special sessions of the court are to be found in Tilghman, II, 221-23. The original records, once lost, were returned to the clerk's office in 1854 and were filed among

the papers of the Court. They were also recorded verbatim in Land Records, S.T.H. No. ff, ff. 529-31, of that year. Ms., Clerk's office, Easton. 147