The Gems of Colorado County Courthouse

The Interior of the Colorado County Courthouse in Columbus, Texas, has many gems and one jewel of a unique nature.  Above is an example of the beautiful newel posts at each of the staircases, hardwood floors and wainscoting throughout the building.

In a conference room which happened to be unoccupied on the day of my visit stands the old vault of the courthouse which was installed during it's 1891 construction. The front doors are decorated with floral embellishments and lettering identifying the manufacturer.

Even the interior of the vault is decorative.  The doors are so heavy it took most of my strength just to open them to view the inside.

In the same room are the workings for the Seth Thomas clock originally installed in 1890 during construction but which fell 120 feet to the ground as a result of the 1909 hurricane which swept the entire clock and bell tower off the building.  The clock was finally recommissioned in 1939 and presently is cleaned and overhauled approximately every 20 years by local citizens.  It was professionally overhauled in 2000 and the following year was moved downstairs to be on public display but continues to operate the clocks in the four clock faces on the present-day copper dome.

The district courtroom is the heart of the building and takes up most of the second floor with the ceiling extending to the third floor.  It is a traditional English-style courtroom with great examples of woodwork.

The jewel of the whole building is a stained glass inner dome in the center of the district courtroom.  It is believed to have been installed during the 1909 repairs when the dome replaced the bell and clock tower, although no mention of the glass has ever been found in any of the county's records.  It is believed the commissioners who approved the nearly $15,000 in repairs from the hurricane were afraid that citizens would balk at such an expense to install this work of art so they simply did not tell them!  $15,000 in 1909 currency would be almost $400,00 today,

The glass dome was dismantled after Hurricane Carla in 1960 because glass was reported falling from the ceiling into the courtroom and the 12 glass panels were stored in the attic.  During a 1979 restoration to add air-conditioning a judge discovered the stacked panels in the attic.  Eight were intact but four were damaged.  A group of stained-glass experts from South Carolina came to inspect the panels and took samples and refabricated the broken pieces.  Upon reinstallation it was reported that no one could tell the difference between the old and the new.

The glass dome consists of numerous green-swirled panes with decorative floral and geometric patterns in yellow, black and red tones.  The panes are set in copper cames (the structure that holds the glass together) mounted in steel armature.  A green glass chandelier, a recent addition, is suspended from the center of the dome.