On my courthouse scouting road trips one of the things I'm always on the lookout for is local murals. I realize some people don't regard murals as art but I view them as art by the people and for the people. I found some good examples in Lampasas recently.
One might consider this more of a sign than a mural, but stay tuned - it is a prelude to a mural. Since I also love native wildflowers I was intrigued by this slogan and it's a wish I have for everyone.
Next to the wildflower sign/mural on the next building is the flower seed packet mural, featuring the wildflowers of this region: prairie verbena, Mexican hat, evening primrose, Indian paintbrush, Blackfoot daisy, Maximillian sunflower, and the ever popular bluebonnet.
And I of course always love showing the perspective of the courthouse in relation to other aspects of these small towns. I love how the courthouse is usually the first thing you see when entering these towns. This one looms high above the rooftops on every roadway that approaches the city. If you've been to Lampasas, you've surely seen the courthouse in one view or another.
Another mural I found a couple of blocks outside of the downtown area is this 1800s scene of the Wholesale Grocers Commission.
Some of this blog's visitors seem surprised at how small the towns are that comprise the county seats in Texas. Lampasas, weighing in at under 7,000 population, is actually a medium-sized town in this big giant state. The overwhelming majority of the county seats I've blogged about are under 2,500 people. After all, there are 254 counties in Texas (compared, for example, with Arizona which has 13 and California, with a much greater population, has only 58). This is because when Texas became a republic in 1836, the founding fathers believed that every person should have access to government and in order to provide this it was decreed that a county seat had to be within one day's ride of a citizen's home. And I don't know that for a fact but it's the answer I'm giving and I'll stick to it. The nearest county seat to Lampasas is only 22 miles away. And just in case you wondered, I have no intention of visiting all 254 courthouses! My goal from the beginning was to see those that were built in the 1800s that are still standing and I've since expanded that quest to encompass some of the beautiful courthouses I've found that were designed in the early part of the 20th century. The ones that have been constructed from the 1920s through the present day are generally architecturally void in character!
11 comments:
I had to stop and look up how many counties we have, 67 for Florida. learned something new today.. again... i really really like the sign and the seed photos. and it is art to me... our courthouse used to be the first thing seen when coming into town, but they built all the tall buildings around it and it is lost
i like both murals. and i like your theory of 'within a day's drive'. :)
Interesting why Texas has so many court houses. I assumed it was because Texas had so many criminals. OKAY! I'm only kidding. Really I am.
I just skimmed through a very fry book about what art is. I now believe art is in the eye of the beholder. And I think the murals you post are art.
I wondered why there were so many counties in Texas. Good answer! I like both of these murals. A little tribute to wildflowers is nice to see.
I don't like most murals, but I do like these flowers.
Wonderful murals!
This was a nice idea for a mural. I like the one of the Grocers Commission too.
87 counties for Minnesota; who would have known? Re. art and murals; those who discount mural as art are art snobs and elitists. How is art defined?
May all your weeds be wildflowers too. I like that. I think we went by Lampasas a couple of times on our way to Fort Hood but I don't remember seeing the courthouse. Of course a lot of water has run under the bridge since then. We probably just drove on the edge of town.
Awesome murals.
I like the wildflowers sign, that would be lovely to see on a daily basis. I also like your story about the number of court houses. You are lucky to have so many of them.
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