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Beginnings of the Board of Supervisors Prior to June of 1870, the minutes were consistently those of the "Police Court." That meeting was a special meeting and one might assume that the name of the group was officially changed. Also, in the next meeting the name was "Board of Supervisors." However, in between it was called "Supervisors' Court" on a couple of occasions. Once more, in March of 1871, "Board of Supervisors" was the name used, but it became the "Supervisors' Court" in July. From August 1871 on, the title seems to have been permanently changed to the "Board of Supervisors." For all the back-and-forth of the names, it may well be that the secretary who wrote the minutes did not see any one name as being agreed upon. Nonetheless, it may well be that it was about this time that members informally agreed that they should no longer be listed as a Police Court, but that henceforth they should be known as Supervisors. Times were changing. The Courthouse Meanwhile, changes were being made in the location of the courthouse. Initially, meetings were still being held at the courthouse in Gainesville. Judging from the meetings held during the Civil War, it may be that the 1853 fire had not totally destroyed the courthouse, and there was even some discussion about getting an estimate of repairs. On the other hand, it may be that whatever structure was being used after 1853, it was called the courthouse. On March 19,1867, in a Special meeting of the Board, it was clearly stated that "under a recent act of the Legislature...for the purpose of selecting a County Seat of Justice for said county," it had been "further to the satisfaction of the Board that Gainesville received the highest number of votes." However, in another Special term, this one being on the 6 day of May, 1867, the Board of Police met "at the Courthouse in the City of Shieldsborough." There it was stated Shieldsborough had "received the majority of legal votes." It was further noted that the order that had been given in the March meeting "was cancelled and amended." Whether there is an inference that at Gainesville there had been some not-legal votes is open to discussion. The actual location of the building being used as a courthouse is not given, but it is clear that in a meeting in March 1868 it was decided that the Masonic Lodge in Shieldsborough was declared the courthouse of the county. It was a temporary decision, as one month
Police Court 1863-1866 Russell Guerin - Police Court during Reconstruction (4)