Hill Valley Courthouse
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- "It gives me great pleasure to dedicate this clock to the people of Hill County! May it stand for all time!"
- —Mayor Hubert, September 5, 1885
The Hill Valley Courthouse and Clock Tower, also known as the Hill County Courthouse was a structure in Courthouse Square in Hill Valley, California.
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[edit] Description
The Hill Valley Courthouse and clock tower were of a common construction and architectural style seen across the United States in the 1800s and 1900s. It was composed of red brick, concrete, and white trim. Two black cougar statues flanked the clock. The clock dial used "IV" for the number four, instead of "IIII" which is usually found on clocks with Roman numerals (except for Big Ben in London). On each quarter hour, the clock would chime.
[edit] History
The Courthouse underwent several changes over the course of its 130-year history. It was first constructed in 1885. On September 3, 1885, it almost experienced its first hanging by Buford Tannen before Emmett Brown intervened. A ceremony held during the September 5th Hill Valley Festival started the clock at 8:00 pm. It would be completed the following year alongside the Shonash Ravine Bridge project.
From the 1880s until at least the 1950s, the building was the county courthouse with a lush lawn with walking paths that led from the building to the corners of the block.
The clock tower was struck by lightning during an electrical storm on November 12, 1955. This permanently stopped the clock at 10:04 pm, and the Hill Valley Preservation Society kept it in this condition as part of the town's history and heritage. Originally, the tower was simply struck by lightning and the clock rendered useless, but after Marty McFly visited 1955, a experiment involving hooking a cable up to the antenna was created by Doc Brown to send Marty back to the future.
Over time, many unsuccessful efforts were put into place to replace the clock tower from the current mayor in office.
In 1985, the Department of Social Services occupied the building, and the lawn had been replaced by a parking lot. In the alternate 1985, the courthouse had turned into casino-hotel with over 27 floors.
By 2015, it had become a shopping mall with underground shops with a lush garden and a decorative pond in the courtyard. The clock, however, was still non-functional, after sixty years.
[edit] Gallery
 The Courthouse and Clock Tower, still under construction on September 3rd, 1885. |
 The clock before being installed on September 5th, 1885. |
 The Clock Tower gets hit by lightning at 10:04 p.m. on November 12th, 1955. |
 The aging courthouse and non-functional Clock Tower on October 25th, 1985. |
 The courthouse was converted into a casino by Biff Tannen in the alternate October 26th, 1985. |
 Marty is nearly the first to be hanged in front of the courthouse. |
