Goliad County Courthouse (Texas No. 49)

One of Texas' most beautiful historic courthouses can be found in Goliad. Constructed in 1894 in the Second Empire style, the clock tower and turrets were destroyed in a 1942 hurricane.

After 61 years the clock tower and cupolas were replaced.

The courthouse in the early 1900s was used as a hospital and morgue after a deadly tornado hit the area.

The above photo shows the stone and brickwork used in the construction.

Most of the historic courthouses have beautiful brass hardware, but this front door looks like it's been chewed on around the lock area.  Perhaps somewhere along the way someone locked themselves out and the door was damaged when it was attempted to be opened.

Goliad has a long history dating back to the 1700s when a Spanish mission was established in the area.  On March 26, 1836, Colonel James Fannin and his men were bivouacked at Goliad and during an attempted retreat from the area were surrounded and captured by Mexican forces.  Fannin had negotiated a clemency for himself and his troops and they believed they were to be prisoners of war. However, the next day at sunrise, Palm Sunday, Fannin's men were marched out of their quarters and summarily executed in front of him.  He was the last to be killed.  Over 340 men lost their lives that day in what has become known as the Massacre at Goliad.  When Sam Houston's troops went into battle with Santa Anna on April 21, 1836, less than a month later, Houston's men went into the fight with the battle cry of "Remember the Alamo, remember Goliad!" After 20 minutes the Texans were deemed to have won their independence from the Mexican dictatorship.

Today Goliad is a small, quiet, charming town of 1,900 people.  It is located 160 miles southwest of Houston, 320 miles south of Dallas, and 200 miles from the Mexican border.

Tomorrow I'll have a post of some photos taken at Goliad.