Day three of my road trip next took me through Blanco County where I found two historic courthouses. The first was in the city of Blanco, population 1,900 50 miles north of San Antonio and approximately the same distance west of Austin. Built in 1885, it only served as the Blanco County Courthouse for five years until 1890 when the county seat was moved to Johnson City 14 miles north. Citizens in this part of the state seemed to have problems agreeing in the 19th century where their courthouse should be located.
Since the moving of the county seat, the Second Empire limestone building has served as a hospital, a school, and even a barbecue restaurant. It eventually was boarded up and was in disrepair until the mid-1990s when preservation-minded locals stepped in and saved the courthouse from being disassembled and moved. For an account of all that went into that effort, including a well-known celebrity who stepped in to lend a hand, you can see an account of how a young woman became known as the savior of the old Blanco courthouse at this link.
Even though the county seat moved in Johnson City in 1890, I find no information on a facility which housed the county government until this structure was built in 1916. The Classical Revival limestone structure fatures Doric columns and a domed cupola.
Johnson City, population 1,600, is the geographical center of the Texas Hill Country. Its most famous native son was President Lyndon Baines Johnson, born here in 1908 and buried just a stone's throw from his place of birth in the Johnson Family Cemetery. His uncle, James Polk Johnson, was the city's founder.
7 comments:
I cannot get the second photo to download but I like the top snapshot of a very symmetrically designed courthouse. Interestingly I just read a review this morning on a book about the life of LadyBird Johnson with scathing comments about her husband. Incidentally,I wrote a very long explanation of our foster dog's dental work on my post in answer to your question.
The color of the stone seems to fit the name "Blanco".
Kathy, do you know that you are very talented taking pictures of interesting historical buildings. Right now I know that it's not so easy to do. I tried a few times to take pictures of old churches and I failed.
I like very much a courthouse. It looks so proud standing against beautiful blue sky. So nicely preserved and kept. And another building also has a beautiful history.
Wonderful photos and stories.
laughed at your comment about folks having trouble agreeing on where their county seat should be, but seems to be the case.
Wonderful images!
I cannot imagine building an expensive courthouse and then abandoning after only five years!
We would always drive through Johnson City heading to AZ to see our daughter, but never stopped. Interesting the lack of certainty about where they wanted their county seat!
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