Hamilton's old majestic county courthouse at 50 Main St. E. was built in 1879 and demolished in 1956.

It was decided by municipal politicians, among some controversy, to tear down the courthouse to make way for a new, bigger one. It was clear by the early 1950s that the Wentworth County Court House was severely overcrowded. It was constructed at a time when Hamilton's population was 50,000 compared to the 250,000 reached by the '50s.

A Spectator editorial from Aug. 25, 1952 said, "To consider wrecking this building is a shocking proposal and appears to be more akin to vandalism than progress."

After the demolition of the building, the pillars and stones were salvaged and used in other projects.

A Spectator story from 1957 said the six Ohio sandstone pillars, that for nearly a century were part of the interior of the Wentworth County Courthouse, were placed "in dramatic fashion" in a section of White Chapel Memorial Gardens on Main Street West, at the foot of Hamilton Mountain.

Another Spectator story, also from 1957, said that the 240,000 stones from the demolished courthouse were used in the building of Sudbury's St. Jean de Brebeuf Roman Catholic Church.