Location: San Marcos, Texas
Constructed: 1908
Style: Beaux Arts
Materials: Buff and gray bricks and limestone
This sculpture of John Coffee (Jack) Hays, the namesake of Hays County, sits on the courthouse grounds. Hays was a nephew of President Andrew Jackson, who gave Hays a letter of recommendation to Sam Houston when Hays came to Texas from Tennessee in 1836. Hays was a Texas Ranger, a noted military leader and surveyor. After the Texas Revolution he went to California where he was elected sheriff of San Francisco County and was one of the founders of the City of Oakland where he is buried. He remained neutral during the Civil War.
San Marcos is a bustling city of 45,000 located 31 miles south of Austin and 50 miles northeast of San Antonio on Interstate 35. Its most notable resident was Lyndon Baines Johnson who received a degree in history and a teaching certificate from what is now Texas State University.
8 comments:
the statue reminded me of how much I always loved the pony express in the movies.. so this guy was part of the Real Texas rising.
Nice town, I surely must have seen this courthouse. My daughter graduated from Southwest Texas in 1979.
The dome and pillars make this one very attractive. Not as elaborate as some but the limestone is a nice touch.
I like the sculpture and thank you for the interesting history.
I am always amazed at the spirit and strength of these pioneers.
What detail on the horse and rider!
It must have been difficult for a Southerner to remain neutral during the Civil War! Well, perhaps a tad easier then for other Southerners since he was living in California.
Love those tall columns on the courthouse. Pretty neat statue too- I bet it was quite the challenge to stay neutral during that war.
The Courthouse is great. The statue and your info brings up a couple of points of historic interest for me. First, there was a John Coffee who moved into Alabama/Tennessee with the Donelson family (Rachel Jackson's family) and Jackson when these areas were being settled. I'm sure John Coffee Hays was named for him. There is a Coffee Co. in Alabama. Secondly, I have read two of the quadrilogy of books that Robert Caro wrote about Lyndon Johnson, and plan to read the other two. Johnson's college years in San Marcos were very interesting. The books are fascinating!
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