County Seat – Goliad
Built – 1894
Style – Second Empire
Architect – 1942
Photos taken – May 25, 2011 (a few were taken by Clem on Sept. 17, 2004)
Impressions: This is a beauty. Soaring, spires, turn-of-the-century – you name it, it’s got it. The courthouse actually lost its towers in a hurricane in 1942. It has recently been restored and believe me, is well worth the visit. It is restored inside and out and is again the pride of the community as it was when first built. Hard to miss the ‘hanging tree’ located near the front door. It’s huge and was actually used as advertised. We had lunch a restaurant across the street aptly named – The Hanging Tree. The tables and walls were decorated with photos from Goliads past.
And what a past. La Bahia was one of the earliest Spanish buildings in the area now known as Texas. The town square is just that – a square surrounded by turn of the century buildings and crowned by the courthouse sitting in the middle. We took these photos on our Victoria trip. The courthouses in Victoria, DeWitt and Goliad counties makes this a trip not to be missed.