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| Landmark #837 | Orange County | Visited: August 4, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The old Orange County Courthouse still stands as a museum! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Built in 1900 of Arizona red sandstone, this is the oldest existing county courthouse in Southern California. Significant and far-reaching court decisions were handed down here, including the “Whipstock” case dealing with slant oil drilling, interpretation of farm labor law, and the Overell trial which resulted in law regulating explosives.
OTHER TIDBITS: Just to be more specific, the “Whipstock” case of 1933 was officially called People vs. Termo Corporation. During the Huntington Beach Oil Boom in the 1920s, a new technique called whipstock drilling pushed drills down into the ground at an angle, and onto government property! The government demanded to be paid for that! Less profitably for the government, the next case, The Irvine Company v. the California State Employment Commission, determined that most of the employees of the Irvine Company were agricultural workers, which meant the company did not need to pay unemployment insurance taxes for them! Finally, the Overell trial was just plain nuts! Beulah Overell and her fiancĂ©, George “My Precious” Gollum, bought dynamite, which blew up the ship where Beulah’s parents had been beaten to death, and they were acquitted after a 6-month, high profile trial due to reasonable doubt! The only lasting effect was that it became harder to purchase explosives in California! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 211 W Santa Ana Blvd at Broadway Santa Ana, CA 92701 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~33mi (54km) — 0.6hrs |
| When should I go? | The courthouse is open for tours Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM until 4:30 PM! |