Texas County Courthouses

This was a great courthouse before Restoration.  Now that it’s been restored – it’s magnificent.  The stucco was removed from the exterior.  The doom was updated – back to its copper finish.  The interior is now all original – with wooden floors, correct colors – all very well done.  Not a lot done in the courtroom – it didn’t need it.  Some color change and wood restoration.  The courtroom is dramatic – two floors in height and crowned by the jewel of all Texas courtrooms – a stunning stained-glass dome.  This courthouse needs to be on everyone’s must-see list.  To see the before and after photos go here:  Exterior Before Restoration, Interior Before Restoration, Colorado County Courthouse – Restored

Finally got to Kerr County.  It was my birthday and this was a close courthouse we’ve not done in the past.  Kerr County page is here

The pages and photos have been out there – but I’ve just not gotten around to posting that fact here on the front page.  Our trip to Lake Brownwood State Park was quite eventful.  The area is full of neat little towns, some interesting courthouses, lots of older jails and yes – cold weather.  It got down right chilly while we were staying here (see the winter photos below).

Anyhow – Historic Jails – Mills, Palo Pinto, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Brown and Comanche.

Town Squares – Goldthwaite, Eastland, Palo Pinto, Breckenridge, Albany, Coleman, Baird and Comanche.

Plus – Lake Brownwood State Park and a revisit to Hamilton County which has now been restored.

It’s been over 3 weeks since returning on our Lake Brownwood trip – and I’m just now getting all of the pages updated.  I’m continuing a trend of adding links to Light Room slidehows.  I believe they’re easier to see and operate – but harder to link.  Anyhow – right now I’ve added the following County Courthouses:  Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Eastland, Mills, Stephens, Shackelford, Palo Pinto and Commanche.  In addition, we revisited Hamilton County Courthouse – as it has been renovated since we first visited there some years ago.  All in all a good cross-section of Texas Courthouse architecture.  Shackelford is a stellar example of the 1880’s and has been faithfully restored.  Eastland and Commanche are really good period pieces dating from the 1920’s and 30’s.  I enjoyed Mills county from the early 1900’s and Stephens County Courthouse was a really terrific Classical Revival work.  The Stephens Courthouse has a great story in the twin courtrooms.  Palo Pinto Courthouse overshadows a tiny little town of the same name.  Callahan was nothing too special – and the Coleman Courthouse was the epitomy of 1950’s exuberance – when they totally encased a more historical and more interesting courthouse in what can truthfully be called ‘ugly’.  But even that courthouse had some redeeming qualities – namely it was very photogenic against the blue Texas sky.

We recently took a roadtrip to Lake Brownwood State Park.  Our goal was to capture more courthouses in photo and get them posted here.  We actually did that and they will soon be posted here.  However, while on the trip, the weather went south (or was it the north weather came south?)  Anyhow, it got cold – and on our last day here – it never got out of the 20’s.  But it didn’t snow or ice or anything like that.  On our drive home the next we began to see ice on trees and grasses.  Once we got between Mason and Fredricksburg – it got downright beautiful – everything covered with an inch or two of ice/frost.  Thankfully – everything but the roads!

Great album site!  Photos from travels around the world – and some county courthouses.  Steven Wagner recreated the Lee County Courthouse in Legos – and it’s pretty true to the real thing.  Lee County was restored not too long ago and represents a high point of Romanesque architecture in 1800’s Texas.  The red brick helps make it stand out among it’s peers.  Visit Steven’s albums here.