Time Capsule Placed Inside New Sussex County Family Courthouse Building

Sussex Family Court Time Capsule items / Image courtesy Administrative Office of the Courts

Last week a time capsule was placed inside what will be the new Family Court facility on East Market and Race Streets in Georgetown. Family Court Chief Judge Michael Newell led the ceremony to place the copper box behind the dated commemorative stone. The time capsule is a copper box and contains the book of Delaware Laws that created the unified Family Court in 1971, a 2021 history of the family Court in Delaware, commemorative tiles depicting the current courthouse on the Circle and a tile from the 50^th anniversary of the court in 2021. There are also news stories and other documents included. It’s hoped the new Family Court will be ready for occupancy by the end of October.

Additional information from the Administrative Office of the Courts: 
The structure of the new courthouse, located east of the Sussex County Courthouse at Race and East Market streets, along with an adjacent parking garage, is largely complete. In the coming months the final work to outfit the interior will take place.

Covering Time Capsule with dated cornerstone / Image courtesy Administrative Office of the Courts

Contents of the time capsule, which was installed behind the building’s dated commemorative stone at the conclusion of the ceremony, include the book of Delaware Laws that created the unified Family Court in 1971, a 2021 history of the Family Court in Delaware, commemorative tiles depicting the current courthouse on the Circle, and tile from the 50th anniversary of the court in 2021. Additionally, there are copies of news stories and official documents relating to the construction, the program and remarks by Chief Judge Newell from the building’s groundbreaking ceremony and copies of the Judiciary’s Annual Reports detailing the progress of the project.

Groundbreaking for this new, larger Family Court building in Georgetown was held in June 2022 to replace the current, outdated Family Court building located on the circle in Georgetown. The new building is almost triple the size of the existing facility, allowing for a number of key safety and security enhancements, including larger courtrooms, additional rooms and space to allow for meetings between litigants and their attorneys, secure hallways and elevators for judges, and improved holding facilities and secure corridors for individuals in custody.

The expectation is that the new courthouse will be ready for occupancy by the end of October and the court hopes to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony once the facility is ready to open to the public.