A Few Central Texas Courthouse Redo's

Starting in Bryan, Texas, we took off one morning to take some better photographs of courthouses that I had previously photographed.  The Brazos County courthouse is a modern ugly looking building that has and still is undergoing remodeling or construction. The weather could not have been better; cool, clear and no clouds. For the second time I was challenged by law enforcement as to what I was doing. This time it was a Brazos County deputy sheriff.  I quickly showed him my retired badge and identification and before I could explain he apologized and left me alone.

The Brazos County courthouse is made of concrete, glass, steel and aluminum.  It serves the citizens of Brazos Count well.

Here you can still see the orange barrier of the construction zone.  It seems every time I come back to redo this courthouse, I've had to deal with construction.

 We left Bryan and drove south on SH21 to Caldwell, Texas, county seat of Burleson County.  Built in 1927 of brick and concrete in Classical Revival style, it was designed by architect J. M. Glover. 

The citizens of Burleson County were exercising their right to vote in the November election by voting early.

We turned north on SH36 and drove to Cameron, Texas, county seat of Milam County.  This courthouse was the gem of the day. The statue of Lady Justice on top of the courthouse could be seen from any point in town, letting you know the rule of law governs Milam County.




The courthouse is the dominate structure in Caldwell and can be seen from almost anywhere in town.

 The Milam County courthouse was built in 1892. Designed by Larmour & Watson in the Renaissance Revival style, it is built of stone. It has a central clock tower that still tells the correct time.  The courthouse was restored to his original condition under the Texas Historical Commission Courthouse, Preservation Program.



The 2nd floor courtroom is beautifully restored.

The original grandmother clock is mounted on the wall giving it a sense of time.


The ceiling is pressed metal; beautiful and difficult to install. Compare this ceiling with a dropped acoustic ceiling in appearance.



Even the die cast door hinges are beautiful.



As is the strike plate.



There's even a turn of the century telephone in the first floor hallway.



On the way out of town, David pointed out an old looking red brick building. We turned around and discovered the "Milam Liberal Institute" build in 1846.  It is the oldest building in Cameron and perhaps Central Texas.

We continued our half day journey to Bastrop, Bastrop County

As I was walking back to the car I noticed another photographer taking pictures of the courthouse. As we got nearer to each other I said hello.  He said are you the retired Houston Police sergeant photographing courthouses?  I said yes and he said he was doing the same thing and that he had looked at my Smugmug photos many times. His name is Gregg Arrington and he is the Chief of Police for Boyd, Texas.  I asked him what or why he was photographing Texas courthouses? A book? He said no, he just liked Texas history, but he couldn't say why he was making all the Texas counties. I wished him a safe journey home and asked him to send me an email so we could stay in touch. Later I texted my wife and told her that I had met someone as crazy as me.......about courthouses anyway.

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