This is my town. The courthouse is currently undergoing renovation, hence no lighted star on top (which you can barely see in the small photo below left), or strings of lights running from the top (below right, as viewed from Shanley Park behind City Hall, one block north and west of the courthouse).
This year downtown merchants and local associations decorated trees at each corner of the courthouse square. The one above seemed most appropriate for my photo - it was done by Preserve Granbury and features photos of historic homes and buildings in the city. You can also see the garland and red bows on the construction fence. One of the decorators of the tree below was my friend Dianne Rawls Davis, owner of Merry Heart Tea Room and Stringfellows restaurants.
Text of historical marker for Hood County Courthouse:
"Fifth courthouse on this site. Erected 1890-1891, this handsome building is a Texas version of the French Second Empire style. First courthouse (1867) was a 1-room log cabin housing county records, lawyers and land agents' offices, and mail station. It was succeeded by 3 stone structures. Contractors Moodie and Ellis and architect W.C. Dodson built this native stone edifice. The clock tower, added after completion, was reinforced with steel in 1969. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970"
© Amanda Pape - 2010
All your courthouse pictures have been really Great! I have really enjoyed reading about them all. Too bad S'ville has such a plain courthouse and they don't do much with it, so it would not add anything to our collections. Thanks for sharing all these! (and I enjoyed rereading all the advent listing again.)
ReplyDeleteI think Stephenville's courthouse is very pretty, and really, Hood County doesn't do much with theirs - it's really the downtown merchants! Tomrrow's post will be about a courthouse that has not done much in the past but hopefully will do more after their renovations are complete.
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