More Than A Fresh Face: Courthouse Clock Tower Restored in Carroll County

From 3D Timber Scans to Ringing an 1889 Bell, Modern Know-How Pairs With Historic Pride

Photo by Cheryl Damon-Greiner.

(Carrollton, Ky.) - Look up at the Carroll County Courthouse and view the restored clock tower: original timbers still providing the support, metal details re-fabricated, windows restored, clocks synchronized and updated electrical panels bringing light inside and out. Look a little closer, and there is a much bigger story.

Some of the most important changes, is work most will never see.

Behind the renewed appearance is a restoration that brought together modern engineering and craftsmen with skills, pride and experience.

Carroll County celebrates completion of the Courthouse Clock Tower Restoration Project on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The goal has been to preserve a landmark that has lasted for more than 140 years and help prepare it for another 140.

Built in 1884, the courthouse has remained a center of local government and community life through the 1937 Ohio River flood and renovations over the decades. Its last renovation was in 1975. This time, the challenge was to bring the tower into the 21st century without erasing the details that make it historic.

Ascendant Facility Partners, known as AFP, began work on the clock tower and roof in January 2026 after an assessment raised concerns about the structure above a building used daily by county employees and visitors.

Before moving forward, a company was hired to make 3D scans of all the timber in the structure to check its sturdiness and safety. Modern technology was put to work examining the old building’s bones, not simply improving its appearance.

The guiding approach paired fiscal responsibility with preservation: address the structure and bring lighting, energy savings, insulation, electrical wiring, maintenance and operation into the modern era while maintaining historic details. Stabilizing the tower and protecting the roof were central to safeguarding the building’s continued use.

AFP worked alongside Stanton Millworks and Trade31, bringing together craftsmen who have the historic preservation expertise needed for a 140 year old public building.

The tower was restored rather than replaced. Where metal features could not be salvaged, they were re-fabricated. Decorative corbels were carefully cleaned to preserve their details. Removing exterior paint by sandblasting required protective gear and measures to protect both workers and the environment.

Photo by Cheryl Damon-Greiner.

Even the bell is a piece of the county’s past. The original bell, cast in 1889, is still rung in the tower.

Tower windows that had been replaced with painted wood panels were restored, bringing back an architectural detail that had disappeared from view. Above the clocks, curved arches have replaced flat, square-lined covers that had allowed rain to settle and birds to roost.

Those changes show how preservation can serve both appearance and function. The work was not just about making the tower look better; it addressed conditions that could contribute to further deterioration.

The clocks received attention, too. Their operation was corrected so all four faces show the same accurate time - a practical improvement residents can appreciate whenever they glance up.

And at the tower’s very top, a decorative metal weather vane in the shape of a running horse adds a distinctly Kentucky touch.

For Ryan Baker, AFP’s Senior Project Development Engineer, the courthouse tower project was “super rewarding.”

Baker said the team understood that the courthouse is an important, highly visible fixture in the county. And it is also an active workplace. Still, the workers treated it with the same pride they would have brought to a project in their own backyards.

That personal investment gives the restoration another dimension. Carefully cleaning a carved corbel, re-creating a metal feature or returning a window to the tower means paying attention to details that might otherwise be overlooked. Together, those details protect the landmark’s character.

The project also reached into the community. Students at the I Lead Academy built a 3D model of the courthouse before restoration work began, using scale and proportions supplied by AFP. Their participation connected a new generation with the building.

The clock tower restoration is part of a broader effort to maintain and improve the function of Carroll County facilities. Here, the result is both practical and personal: a working public building preserved with respect for its history.

For residents, the renewed tower offers more than a familiar silhouette. It is a reminder that caring for a community’s future can begin with looking closely at what it already has.