uring the first half of the nineteenth century, and were
reflected in the courthouses built in Virginia during that period.
Therefore, when the Fairfax County Courthouse was restored to service
after the Civil War, its interior design resembled that which was
customary for judicial chambers.[153]

That the task of renovation and restoration was extensive is indicated
by a report in the _Alexandria Gazette_ of October 17, 1862 stating
that "The interior of the courthouse of Fairfax County has been
entirely destroyed. Nothing remains of the building but the walls and
the roof." Moreover, the work of renovation had to be carried out
under the double difficulty of shortages of funds and labor that was
skilled in cabinetmaking and metalworking. In the end, the restoration
of the courthouse was a gradual process in which first one and then
another improvement was added. No grand design seems to have been
followed or a complete record of accomplishments maintained. Hence,
evidence of the courthouse furnishings is seen in such separate
notations in the Court Minute Books as follow:

October Court, 1866.

Ordered that the Com. of Public Buildings be instructed to
purchase enough green-baise to cover the table in the bar And have
it covered before the Circuit Court commenses.[154]

December 11, 1876.

Ordered that the Com'r of Public Buildings have the sawdust
removed from the floor of the Courtroom, and have said floor
covered with a substantial cocoa matting at the expense of the
Court.[155]

December Court, 1882.

... Some person or persons have entered the Court House Building
in the night, without authority and have damaged Said building and
have greatly annoyed the citizens living nearby by violently
ringing the bell. It is therefore ordered by the Court, that such
trespass ... will be punished to the full extent of the law.[156]

The bell referred to by the Court was a standard feature of many
Virginia courthouses, and was rung to announce the convening of court
sessions. In the Fairfax County Courthouse, the bell was hung in a
cupola on the roof, and rung with a bell-pull passing through the
building's attic to the balcony level of the courtroom.[157]

A major change in the appearance of the courtroom occurred with the
installation of wooden benches in the public section of the chamber.
Tradition holds that the benches had been pews at one time in
Jer