PCN to feature historic Carbon County courthouse

At 125 years old, the Carbon County courthouse is ready for its close-up.

A documentary TV series plans to feature the historic courthouse in an episode set to air this fall.

On Tuesday, a film crew from Pennsylvania Cable Network visited the town to record interviews for a series called Pennsylvania’s Historic Courthouses.

The documentary will air at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 and at 2 p.m. Aug. 31.

Each year, PCN visits three courthouses around the state and films a documentary about the history of the building and the county. The series is produced in partnership with the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

Carbon County applied and was chosen along with Blair and Bradford counties to be featured in 2019. Over the past eight years the program has featured about half of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

Ken Koski, the media and public relations director for the commissioners association, said the documentary is meant to give a voice to the historic buildings which play an important role in local government and community pride.

“It tells a story of the county and the courthouse that allows generations to see what has formed the fabric of the community,” he said.

The content of the documentary is determined in large part by the county itself. PCN focuses more on providing a high production value for the stories told by the locals.

Koski said the commissioners and county Administrator Eloise Ahner were very prepared and made the shoot an easy one.

“This was interesting and well-planned, which is always nice,” he said.

The series will often feature a famous trial which took place in the county. The crew visited the Old Jail Museum to talk with tour guides about the history of the Molly Maguires. Four reputed members of the organization were hanged in the jail for their alleged role in the murder of mine bosses in the 1870s.

Blaine Dart, who has been a tour guide at the jail museum for six years, provided the film crew with background on the Mollies. Despite being a high school student, Dart has given tours to thousands of museum visitors. Though he admitted doing it for TV adds some pressure.

“There’s a lot more people than when you are giving a tour,” he said.

The film crew also visited the Asa Packer Mansion and met with its longtime director Ronald Sheehan.

When the documentary is finished, it will be available for the county to put on its website and play for the public. Teachers will also be able to access the documentary for educational purposes.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said he’s proud to be able to share the history of the Carbon County courthouse with viewers across the state. He pointed out that some other counties chose to demolish their historical courthouses long ago.

“Some of the older courthouses were torn down for new ones. A lot of the old ones are gone,” he said.