For many it would not seem like Christmas without a tree. The 25-foot Christmas tree which graces the rotunda of the Old Courthouse is laden with over 1,400 traditional Victorian-style ornaments and 300 electric candle lights. The first recorded appearance of a Christmas tree in America occurred in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1747. Germans settling in this country brought the tradition of the Christmas tree with them.
With the union of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, a German, the tree made its
debut in their English castle in 1840. An engraving of the royal family celebrating
around the tree was reprinted in American magazines, thus widening the appeal of this
German custom in America.

Early Victorian Christmas trees were significantly smaller than what we often see today. The engraving of the royal family showed a small tree displayed on a table. As the custom evolved in America, the trees became much taller and were adorned with
Hand made ornaments, popcorn chains, cornucopias, and miniature toys, and were topped with tin stars, wax-beaded angels, or glass-blown spikes. Toward the end of the Victorian era a different tree evolved as a result of increased commercialization and modern technology. Handmade ornaments became fewer as commercially-produced ornaments were purchased and candles were replaced with electric lights. Such changes moved the tree into a new era, but still it remains an enduring tradition.