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later, the following proposal was made: "The Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Shieldsborough have made a proposal to exchange a lot of land now claimed or owned in said City by the County of Hancock for one lot of land belonging to said City for the purpose of erecting thereon a Court House for said County."
Earlier, in May 1867, William R. Seal was directed to do a survey of county property in Shieldsborough and to make a report. This turned out to be a plat of the courthouse lot (see above) for which Seal was paid ten dollars.
In a follow-up meeting in June, the plan was restated in a more formal way, the drawing of a deed was agreed upon, and other details were discussed such as who may use the facility when completed.
Perhaps due to lack of money actual construction was slow in coming. Two years later, in a November 1870 meeting, it was determined to give Sheriff DC Stanley $49 for lumber to build benches for the courthouse, presumably still the Masonic Lodge.
In December of 1871, another move was made. The narrative is told in the minutes of that Special term, beginning with the payment of $12 to John A. Mordeau for the rental of two rooms used as offices of the Clerk and Sheriff. Next, $14 was allowed Mrs. R. Eager for four days of hire of her horse and cart to remove the Clerk's and Sheriff's offices from the City Hall to the Sea Side Hotel, and from there to the Moreau house. It was then decided that the Moreau house, being used as a Courthouse, was "by no means sufficiently secure for the safekeeping of the archives of the County. It is therefore ordered by the Board that the house known as the Sea Side Hotel be and the same is hereby designated as the Court House of Hancock County until otherwise ordered...."
There is no mention of a move by August of 1872, but the Board authorized $11 to be paid to James A. Ulman for making desks etc. for the Clerk's office. In the same meeting, it was mentioned that the court room was frequently used for exhibits by strangers without charge, and the sheriff was ordered to begin collecting fees. Any money generated was to be applied to buying chairs for the courtroom.
The Jail
Meanwhile, the Board had other considerations besides the courthouse. In the January
1867	term, the Board ordered that a special meeting be scheduled for later in the month to consider the building of a jail "in this county."
At that special meeting, a bid was accepted from WJ Poitevent to construct such jail for $2,100. In a regular meeting held in July 1867, it was ordered that he be allowed $47.50 for "repairs and carpenter's work" on the existing jail in Shieldsborough.