Texas Courthouse Trails : Central Texas Courthouses

Lampasas County Courthouse

I continued my pursuit of 254 Texas courthouses last Friday taking aim at six counties; Lampasas, San Saba, Mills, Brown, and McCulloch and time permitting revisiting two others to get a look inside. I left Cypress headed north on US290 early, early setting the GPS for Lampasas. I made such good time that it was still dark when I arrived in Lampasas. Since this was a loop route I just went to the next town, Goldthwaite, MIlls County. The courthouse is a huge three story 1913 Classical Revival that can be seen a mile away prodruding from the landscape. The interior was nice and had a huge district courtroom.

Mills County Courthouse, Brownwood, Texas

Famous Underwood's Cafeteria in Brownwood

The second county was Brown and the town of Brownwood. This is also a Classical Revival style courthouse built in 1917. There is an old jail built like a castle. Like some many of the pre-Civil War counties it had a Confederate soldier statue in the front honoring the men who served the CSA.

By far the most unusual sight was a old Case tractor sitting in the middle of a field with a set of TX longhorns. Leaving Goldthwaite I drove through the town of Santa Anna. I could not understand why some Texan would ever name anything after the butcher of the Alamo and Goliad.

I stand corrected. Aubrey Cruse sent me a link informing me that this Santa Anna was a Comanche war chief. Santa Anna was a member of the same band of the Comanche as the more famous Buffalo Hump. He was an important chief, though probably less influential than Buffalo Hump during the 1830s and 1840s. He was the first member of his band to visit Washington, D.C. He was originally, along with Buffalo Hump, a leader of Comanche resistance to Anglo settlement in Texas, especially during the period following the Council House Fight. He was the father of Carne Muerto, later a War Chief of the Quahadi band of Comanche.

Santa Anna, "a large, fine-looking man with an affable and lively countenance," rose to prominence in the years following the Texas Revolution. Ferdinand Roemer, a noted German scientist who was traveling in the Americas at the time of the meetings in the mid and late 1840s, attended the council between the chiefs and white representatives. He described the three Comanche chiefs present as 'serene and dignified,' characterizing Old Owl as 'the political chief' and Santa Anna as an affable and lively-looking 'war chief'.[2]

The next stop was the farthermost point west this time, Coleman. Not much to say about this drab looking Modern courthouse. I did take a photo of the original Second Empire courthouse that was morphed into the present one. The next stop was Brady, Texas, county seat of McCulloch County. This courthouse has been completely restored. The most unusual thing about this courthouse is the central tower. It has four round places for a clock, but no clock. The interior is beautiful, just look at the photo of the courtroom.

The next stop was San Saba, pecan capitol of the world. If you don't believe me just read the sign. There are a lot of pecan orchards in the county. The courthouse is a Texas Renassiance structure that proudly proclaims it was built, "FROM THE PEOPLE TO THE PEOPLE." This was the first courthouse I was able to see the internal clock mechanism of one of these courthouse towers. It looked like a huge watch with wheel, gears, pulleys, and a cable to the hands of the clock.

I could not leave town with out checking out the huge catfish on the top of a pickup truck.

Williamson County Courthouse

I headed back toward Houston and I had enough time to stop in Georgetown, county seat of Williamson County. The last time I was in Georgetown it was on a Sunday and the courthouse was closed. This is a 1911 Beaux Arts building with a cental dome and spiral staircase. There is also a beautifully restored courtroom. The last stop was Giddings, Texas county seat of Lee County. This courthouse, designed by famous architect J. Riely Gordon, has a beautiful courtroom and a square shaped spiral staircase. Two hours later I was home in Cypress. All in all a good day for a courthouse photographer. As I pulled into the driveway I gave thanks to God for a safe journey just as I had asked for his hand as I left the driveway at 4am. Texas is a beautiful state and I enjoy see its most diverse landscape. God bless Texas.