T-L Photos/KAREN FATULA Belmont County Judge Frank Fregiato pauses on the courthouse tour with Taste of the Valley prize winner Debbi Hanson Shutler and her family. Amelia Hanson is shown in front while, pictured from left in the second row are Addison Hanson and Zachary P. Hanson. In back, from left, are Fregiato, Debbi Hanson Shutler, Kevin Shutler, Zach Hanson and Janna Hanson.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County Common Pleas Court Judge Frank A. Fregiato gave one lucky winner and her family a “backstage pass” to the Belmont County Courthouse on Friday afternoon.

Debbi Hanson Shutler of St. Clairsville was the winner of the prize, which consisted of a personal courthouse tour by the judge, at the Taste of the Valley event — a function of the St. Clairsville Noon Rotary Club. Fregiato, who is a Rotarian, explained there are 1.2 million people involved in Rotary organizations worldwide.

“Rotary’s mission is to create lasting change globally and locally,” he said.

He said Rotary helps with health initiatives like combating polio and community causes like helping fire departments and parks.

During the tour, Fregiato provided a history lesson on Belmont County and its courthouse. He said Belmont County was created in 1801, two years before Ohio became a state in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was the nation’s president.

Belmont County itself was organized as an entity in 1815, but a modest courthouse was built in the first county seat in Pultney Township near Shadyside prior to that. The county seat was then moved to St. Clairsville along National Road, where the community was growing and a log structure costing $1,000 was built there in 1805. This structure was replaced by another building, which finally made way for the stately three-story structure we see today set atop a hill in downtown St. Clairsville.

The current courthouse took three years to construct and was completed in 1888.

Today’s courthouse keeps up with the times with computers and networking infrastructure, but it has preserved markers of its past. As Fregiato walked the group to center of the courthouse’s third floor, he asked everyone to look upward to view a rotunda with its colorful glass windows and beautiful scrollwork.

“It’s not lighted by natural light,” the judge said.

As he guided the tour to the “backstage” off-limits to the public courthouse attic, Fregiato continued to give the visitors an all-access pass to the history and secrets of the Belmont County Courthouse. Fregiato explained that the secret to illuminating the rotunda is electricity, and he pointed out the cables in the attic.

In this day of online access, the courthouse still maintains a physical law library, filled with law books.

Also on the tour was Judge Albert E. Davies, who handles juvenile and probate court. He explained his court’s functions which include wills, Children Services cases and adoptions and offered a tour of the courtroom and chambers. Fregiato provided a tour of his courtroom and chambers as well and reviewed the county court structure.

Visitors also met Clerk of Courts Cynthia Fregiato, who explained her office handles filing, docketing and preserving court pleadings. The title office portion of the clerk’s office moved to a building formerly owned by The Health Plan at 52180 National Road in St. Clairsville on July 18.

Another stop on the tour was Recorder Mary Catherine Nixon’s office. That office handles real estate, deeds, mortgages and property transfers. Nixon showed examples of how recording has evolved from handwritten pages to typewritten ones then to photostat, Xerox and finally to the computer.

Engineer Terry Lively explained that his office is responsible for highway and township bridges as well as repairing storm damage and slips. He said a variety of current and historical maps such as railroad maps and mining maps can be accessed online or by coming into his office.

Finally, vistors were treated to a tour of the Belmont County Heritage Museum, formerly known as the Belmont County Sheriff’s Residence Museum. It was led by Barb Ballint, executive director of the Belmont County Tourism Council. The museum contains items relating to the history of the various communities in Belmont County. Until 1976, sheriffs were required under Ohio law to live on the premises of the jail; the former jail still stands adjacent to the residence.