Thursday, July 3, 2014

Alaska's Haunted Boney Courthouse

From Pbase.com
Today's Haunted America location comes from Anchorage, Alaska and is really more of a fright bite.  As interesting as the story is to me, there just really isn't any information on this location and its hauntings anywhere online.  Nevertheless...

Alaska became a part of the United States in 1959, but it wouldn't be until over five years later that its first governor, William Egan, established the state's Supreme Court (1965).  Originally composed of three justices, Buell Nesbett led the group as the Chief Justice.  As the state's needs continued to grow, the decision to increase the number of justices from 3 to 5 was made in 1968, and one of those justices was the Honorable George Frank Boney.  Boney served as a justice for two years.

In 1968, Judge Nesbett retired, and Judge Boney took his place, becoming Alaska's second (and youngest) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Unfortunately, tragedy would cut Boney's career short and he died in a boating accident on August 30, 1972.  Born in July of 1930, Boney was only 42 years old.

Chief Justice George Boney, seated
His legacy would live on, though.  Completed in 1973, Anchorage's new judicial building was named the Boney Memorial Courthouse at the insistence of a former state attorney who claimed to feel the presence of the deceased judge.  In fact, the modern courthouse, the first to incorporate public art in its design and planning, is said to be haunted by none other than Judge George Boney himself.


Sources:
Anchorage Daily News
The Alaska Court System: Celebrating 50 Years

No comments:

Post a Comment