The Bastrop County Courthouse in Bastrop, Texas, was built in 1883, although it certainly doesn't look like most 1890's courthouses in Texas. The building was modernized in 1923 and the original red brick and stone structure was covered with plaster and the dome was shortened.
It was a rather gray morning in Bastrop and I got caught in a rain shower while trying to get a good photo. All those pecan trees, which are very prevalent around Texas courthouses, tend to hide the building. When the rain came I took refuge under one of those giant trees and tried to wait it out until the shower subsided, but eventually thunder erupted and I figured I wasn't very safe under a tree out in the open, so I made a run for it. It's been a long time since I ran anywhere!
A copper cap was added to the dome on the clock tower during the 1923 remodel.
Adjacent to the courthouse and now connected by a second-floor walkway is the old Bastrop County Jail. Constructed in 1891 the jail is now a museum.
Bastrop, the county and the city, are named for Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop. He was actually a commoner named Philip Hendrik Nering Bogel who was wanted for embezzlement in his native country of the Netherlands. An early Dutch settler, Baron de Bastrop assisted Stephen F. Austin in obtaining land grants in Texas.
The city of Bastrop is about 30 miles southeast of Austin and is part of the greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population has almost doubled in the last 40 years. Residents now number over 7,000.
9 comments:
the clock top is cool, but the obelisk caught my eye in the first shot. :)
I like that clock and its dome, thanks for the closeup. it is my favorite part in the first photo, and i would have liked it better with orginal brick..i would like to visit that museum and wander around.. glad you are back in the saddle and posting these lovely old buildings.
Love the copper dome- I prefer the old courthouses to the new...but I know they all need updating. Still sad to see the old brick covered up.
Handsome architecture - I especially love the clock tower.
I like the looks of the jail/museum better than the courthouse. I don't understand why anyone would 'modernize' an old historic building but I guess that was the trend in those days. That rain shower sounds delightful to me right about now.
Now that they are using the jail for a cultyooral center, where are they putting the felons?
Jo
The watch tower is impressive. The jail looks attractive!
More beautiful buildings. The clock tower has a lot of nice detail. I love the old architecture so much.
Good shots and interesting history.
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