5 Interesting facts about Old Courthouse Historic Museum
Odds are, if you have spent time in Inverness, you would notice a grand building in the middle of the quaint downtown district. This building was the original courthouse of Inverness, the county seat of Citrus County. We recently took a tour and wanted to share 5 interesting facts that you may not know about this piece of history in Inverness, Florida.
There are many original architectural components unique to the early 1900s.
The building itself is a centerpiece of the town. While there have been renovations through the decades, remnants of the past are still visible if you were to walk through the building. The light marble throughout the walkways is original to the building as well as the majority of the interior glass. Even the floors in the main area of the courtroom upstairs are the original floors…down to the nails! If you make your way into one of the ladies restrooms you would be surprised to see a beautiful original fireplace from when it used to be an office. In fact, each office that was originally in the building would have housed a fireplace.
There is a plethora of knowledge housed within the galleries.
There are permanent galleries on the main floor of the museum that explain local history dating back to the Pioneers and Settlers, Native Americans, and even prehistoric history! There are also rotating galleries that feature exhibits relevant to the town’s history or certain time periods.
A movie with a huge star was filmed here.
In 1961, the small town of Inverness had a visit from a huge star while filming a movie. This film was “Follow that Dream” and starred none other than The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself, Elvis Presley. Various scenes were shot around Citrus County, but the courtroom scene was filmed in this building!
There were growing pains through the decades, almost leading to demolition.
This building was originally constructed in 1912. Sometime after “Follow that Dream” was filmed, Inverness had a new courthouse built across the street. The historic courthouse fell was remodeled into office spaces and during that process modern touches were added, such as some bright green paint. At the turn of the century there were talks of demolishing the stately building and paving over where it once stood for parking spaces. Citizens along with the Citrus County Historical Society fought to preserve it and it was then added to the National Register of Historic Places. There weren’t any photographs of the original courtroom to use for restoring the building to its original design. So, some thought to reach out to MGM, the production company that filmed “Follow that Dream” and MGM ended up sending clips which greatly helped restore the courtroom to its original state.
This landmark continues to serve the community.
The building now serves as a local museum but also hosts various events such as concert series, speakers, movies on the lawn, and is has opportunities for event rentals. It continues to remain a focal point of the town over a century later.
If you are interested in visiting, we highly recommend walking through yourself and seeking out a volunteer so that they can share their wealth of knowledge! Visit their website for more information.
Feel free to scroll through our photos below for a peek into what you can expect during your visit.
