Texas Courthouses and the Stories They Tell!
I admit it! I have traveled through Texas for many years. Whether by car, plane, or train (yes, by train, too), there are very few counties and courthouses I haven't visited. I also admit that it has taken me years to visit them. Texas has a total of 254 counties! (The next state in terms of the number of counties is Georgia, with 159.) I have been to the largest county, Brewster, and to the smallest county, Rockwall. After a while, it seems that some of these courthouses begin to look alike. Wait a minute, some are alike! The old Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco, the Concho County Courthouse in Paint Rock, and the Sutton County Courthouse in Sonora were all designed by the Ruffini brothers, Ernst and Oscar, in the French Empire Style. From Cleveland, Ohio, to Texas is a big jump, but one these first-generation German descendants made. Texas was nearing the end of Reconstruction, and the state's agricultural shift, cattle, industrial, and railroad booms were just beginning. Let's take the old Blanco County Courthouse first; the others will be discussed in later blogs.
The first permanent Blanco County Courthouse was built in Blanco, Texas, between 1885 and 1886. However, it served the people of Blanco County for ONLY four years, when the county seat was moved in 1890 to Johnson City! (Yes, President Lyndon Johnson's relative was involved with that fateful decision!). This grand building later served as a bank, hospital (about 1000 children were born in this building), school, office, and other uses. Despite years of neglect and imminent condemnation, a nonprofit, the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society, stepped in to save the building in the 1990s. The photo was taken in 2002 (with faces blurred for privacy), and you can see how forlorn it looked while funds were being raised. But today, with new landscaping, new sidewalks, and more restoration, it thrives as a museum and event space for weddings and other venues. And the courthouse on the square hosts the monthly Blanco County Market Days (March - December) on the third Saturday of each month.
So, if you have Blanco County ancestors who used this courthouse during this period or afterwards, take a few minutes to support the restoration and maintenance of this historic building! Or better yet, plan a visit to Blanco County. There are lots of things to see and do in the Texas Hill Country!
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