San Angelo and Surrounding Counties

San Angelo and Surrounding Counties......1127 miles.........a long day

Back on the road to visiting and photographing Texas courthouses. David and I left Houston around 4am, hit I-10 and headed west.  We took my Silky terrier, Tanner, with us because I did not want to leave him alone for the day.  He is a good traveler and only wants a bathroom break when we stop.  We made a brief stop in Seguin for breakfast then on to Sonora. Another stop for coffee and we turned north toward Mertzon, Texas, county seat of Irion County. We could see how the landscape rose out of the lowlands and became part of the plateau known as the Llano Estacado, as escarpment that begins in the Texas Hill country and extends northwest into eastern New Mexico. The Comanche claimed the land as his after killing all the other tribes, Spanish explorers, and Mexicans.

Irion County

Mertzon is a small town with a population of 781. We were not sure of the location of the courthouse so we just looked for the sheriff's department antenna. The courthouse sits on top of a hill on the north side of Mertzon. It is a really plain looking three story 1937 Moderne structure. I was more interested in the historic 1901 courthouse in Sherwood, the former county seat.  

1901 Second Empire Courthouse in Sherwood

We located Sherwood about 3 miles north of Mertzon and drove there. The surrounding community reminded us of a New Mexico old west town. Houses were in disrepair and all the yards had these massive cactus clusters in the front yard. We found the 1901 Second Empire courthouse is a sad state of disrepair. It was locked up tighter than "Dick's hatband." The courthouse appeared to be on private property but no one came out and stopped me from walking up to the old structure. The courthouse should be high on the list for restoration, however, I doubt the county has the funds to take on the project. I took several photos from different angles and we were headed off to San Angelo, county seat of Tom Green County.

Tom Green County

San Angelo is the largest city in this part of Texas and most populated. It has a highly rated university, San Angelo State. The climate is arid. Plenty of water is recommended. The Tom Green County courthouse is a Classical Revival building built in 1928. The front facade is dominated by 18 columns that gives the building an air of importance. If you're wondering who is Tom Green, the person from whom the county got its name, he fought at the Battle of San Jacinto and he was a Confederate general. General Green was killed in the Civil War. I wanted to take some photos of the courtroom but there was no photography rule inside. I got Tanner out for a walk and he left a message about the no photography rule on the front lawn.

Sterling County

We put Sterling City in the GPS and headed northwest from San Angelo. As we got close to Sterling City, county seat, we started seeing tall wind generators on a ridge on the north side of the highway. We learned that this is the Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm. It is the second largest in Texas with 407 turbines. It is a 662.5 MW with 342 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines and 65 2.3 MW Siemens turbines that are capable of powering 220,00 homes.  The Capicorn Ridge wind farm is owned and operated by Nextera Energy Resources. 

Sterling County Historic 1912 Jail

The courthouse in Sterling City is a Classical Revival building with Art Deco details and built of brick. It was built in 1938.  The 1912 Sterling County historic jail was much more interesting. 

Sterling City would be the farthest we would travel on this trip. We turned east on SH158 and headed for Robert Lee, county seat of Coke County.

One of the more interesting memorial is a statue of Charles H. Noyes. As a young man he was killed when his horse fell on him working cattle. His family erected a statue of him and the county allowed it to be erected on the courthouse square.  We left Sterling City on SH158 and headed to Ballinger, Texas, county seat of Coke County.

Coke County

The Coke County courthouse is a Modern-style brick building that I quickly photographed it and left. These courthouses are not my favorite. 

Runnels County was 35 miles away and we were in Ballinger, county seat, in about a half hour. The courthouse was built in 1889 in the Second Empire design.  It was renovated in 1941 and the towers were lopped off as well as the mansard roof.

They should have left it as it was. I can't understand the thinking of people who have no perspective of history and architecture. 

Concho County

We continued south on US83 and crossed the Concho River and entered Paint Rock, Texas. The courthouse was on the left side of the highway and we quickly found a place to park. This is one of the more pleasing courthouses of this trip. It is a 1883 Second Empire style courthouse designed by F. E. Ruffini.

Courtroom, Concho County Courthouse

Concho is Spanish for "shell" is named for the Concho River.  The town of Paint Rock is named for the many Indian paintings (petrographs) done on a bluff overlooking the river.

We headed back to Houston via the Texas Hill Country going thru the town of Brady and turning east on SH71.  We found a herd of Texas longhorns in some bluebonnets and decided to stop and get some pics of the famous cattle. They were very cooperative photo subjects.

We passed through the community of Pontotoc, Texas. This was a thriving community until a fire in 1947 devastated the buildings there. The bluebonnets are taking over around the old structures.

Pontotoc, Texas