Victorian Texas Courthouses: And County Histories In Post Cards

By E. Barry Gray

Victorian Texas Courthouses have been called the “architectural treasures of the state”. Although they have a number of characteristics in common, such as the use of wrought iron, stained-glass, towers, turrets, and gingerbread, the architecture of the Victorian Era was not just one style but a collection of many styles. Coinciding with these architectural styles in Texas was the “golden age” of courthouse design and construction. The Victorian styles fit perfectly with the public’s idea of what a grand “temple of justice” should say about the county’s people and their values. These styles were ideal in that they could illustrate in stone and glass the power of government and law in society. Unfortunately, most of these great Victorian buildings are gone, but thankfully through vintage picture post cards we can still enjoy their architecture. This book is an attempt at the architectural preservation of Victorian Texas courthouses through the use of over one hundred vintage picture post cards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Dec 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483474427

Book preview

Victorian Texas Courthouses

and County Histories

in Poast Cards

by

E. Barry Gray

Copyright © 2017 E. Barry Gray

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Front Cover: 1883 Johnson County Courthouse, Cleburne, Texas

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7441-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7442-7 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 11/16/2017

Appreciation

I would like to thank Rev. Keith Vincent of CourthouseHistory.com for the use of some of his courthouse images used in this book. I would also like to thank Mr. Jim Dove for his help in scanning Rev. Vincent’s images. This book would not have been possible without their help. In addition, I would especially like to thank my wife, Betty, for the many hours she spent editing this book.

About the Author

Mr. Gray is a 5th generation Texan whose family was among the earliest settlers of East Texas. His great-great-grandfather, Josephus S. Irvine, was the youngest man to have fought at the battle of San Jacinto. His great-grandfather on his father’s side was the first Confederate soldier to hold public office after the Civil War in Newton County. This family heritage accounts for his lifelong love of Texas history. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1970 and received his master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1974. While at the University of Texas he had the privilege to take Texas History from Dr. Llrenna B. Friend. He is also a professional artist whose works are in many private collections as well as several galleries. He has co-authored the books; Newton County Courthouse - A Pictorial History, and Images in the Pines -Photographic and Poetic Essays of Life in East Texas and written Greetings from Galveston - History from the 1870s to the 1950s through Post Cards. His hobbies include; scuba diving, golf, genealogy, photography, Texas history, and driving his 1967 RS Camaro. He is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and Instructor. He lives in Friendswood, Texas with his wife, Betty. They have two sons, Chris and John, and a grandson, Oliver. He can be reached at [e-mail].

List of Counties in this Book

This book is dedicated to:

Chris, John, Lauren, and Caitlin

"Courthouses, more than any other building of the era between

1870 and 1910, symbolize the aspirations and the collective self

image of the people of these towns."

Wilbur W. Caldwell

                                                "The Courthouse and the Depot:

                                            The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair"

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Courthouse & Saloon

Langtry, Texas

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Introduction

The Victorian Era spanned from 1837, when Victoria became queen of England, to her death in 1901. Especially in the case of Victorian architectural styles, some sources have it extending as late as 1910 or 1914. During her reign, the industrial revolution began in Britain and was thought to be the most significant event in human history since the domestication of animals. It created a middle class whose standard of living increased along with their income. The industrial revolution with its new inventions, new machines, and new manufacturing processes was producing men of wealth almost overnight. For the first time, the common man could have a standard of living that rivaled the royals. One major aspect of this new-found wealth was the building of fine homes and buildings. How better to show off one’s success and wealth to everyone than an elegant home built by a renowned architect out of materials from all over the world? This was possible when cost was no longer a consideration. For the first time, an industrious business man could afford a palace just like a member of the royal family.

As the industrial revolution spread beyond England, business men around the world could capitalize on opportunities that the new manufacturing processes created. All over the world newly wealthy men built monuments to themselves in the form of great buildings and palatial homes, each influenced by the culture, religion, art, social values, and architectural styles of their particular region.

Philosophically, the Victorian Era was a shift from the practical rationalization of the Georgian Era to the more romantic and mystical period of the 1800s. When we think of Victorian architectural styles, we generally picture great Gothic buildings with tall steeples, gingerbread in both wood and wrought iron, and multiple windows with stained-glass. The Victorian Era was actually not just one style but rather many different styles. Introduced by the industrial revolution, mass production and new technology made possible building innovations and techniques, such as the use of steel, that had been impossible with the old materials and techniques. Buildings were becoming larger, taller, stronger, and more ornate because of the innovations of the new machine age.

Some of the architectural characteristics of buildings that we associate with this era are: 1) multistoried, 2) decorative and creative use of wood and/or wrought iron gingerbread trim, 3) wood or stone in different colors and textures, 4) asymmetrical shapes, 5) towers, widow’s walks and turrets, 7) gabled, steep and mansard roofs, 9) bright or earth tone colors, and 10) stained-glass windows. Victorian Texas homes and buildings might incorporate any number of Texas icons into the design and construction. For example, you might see the Texas flag portrayed in stained-glass, in stone, in tiles on the floor, or in wrought iron on the building or fence. Other icons might be cowboys, horses, ropes, cactus, armadillos, bluebonnets, or longhorn cattle. Not only designers, the great architects were also artists and engineers who worked in wood, stone, steel, form, and space. In fact, one might view a great Victorian home as a giant sculpture in wood, stone, stained-glass, and steel. Like all artists, the architect wanted his creation to make a statement to anyone who viewed it. To that end, they used any one of a number of architectural styles, or possibly a combination of styles.

Some of the architectural styles that were popular during the sixty-three years of Queen Victoria’s reign were Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Classicism, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Stick, Shingle, Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, Folk Victorian, and Italianate. In Texas and the southwest we also had Spanish Mission Revival and even some middle eastern or Moorish influence. You don’t have to travel any further in Texas than Galveston to see almost the entire spectrum of Victorian styles, everything from the American Gothic of the Bishop’s Palace to the Moorish style of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. In fact, these two buildings just happen to be across the street from each other at Broadway and 14th St.

Many books have already been written about Victorian architecture and Victorian Texas architecture. The focus of this book is the use of vintage picture post cards to illustrate the architecture as it pertains to Texas courthouses in the middle and late Victorian Era. Post card photographers were not merely commercial photographers, but artists in their own right, particularly as it pertains to picture composition. Many of these post card images have the same feel as some of the great 19th century American paintings by artists such as Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand, George Inness or Albert Bierstadt. While these men worked in landscapes, post card photographers worked primarily in urban settings although they were not above taking a photo of a scenic view if they thought it would appeal to the public. With the advent of picture post cards almost nothing was missed by the photographer. Unlike newspaper photographers, who only took pictures of people, places, and things that were news worthy, the post card photographer took pictures of everything. As a result, we have picture post cards of almost everything that has taken place since the late 1800s. This includes every building, every bridge, every statue, every scenic view, and any and every item that helps define a particular location. Consequently, the post card photographer has given us a photographic documentation of our history and culture since about 1890. The post card images in this book were chosen by the author not only for their Victorian style, but also for the painting-like compositions of the post card images themselves. A few great Victorian Texas courthouses were not included because there was not a good post card image available, and this is a picture post card book. Other courthouses were omitted because the post card image was obscured by trees or buildings, or the courthouse did not fit the standards of Victorian architecture. A few buildings for which the post card images were less than ideal are included because the architecture is so outstanding. The Shackelford County courthouse pictured on page 102 is an example of this. The post card itself can help to identify roughly the time period of the image. For example, if the post card has a small white border around it, then the image was probably made sometime between 1915 and 1930. If the post card was never mailed or the postmark is illegible, the border may be the only way to get an approximate date.

The evolution of courthouse design and construction in Texas paralleled other states and counties as civilization moved westward. Many counties’ first courthouses were one room log cabins. Often the second was a two-story framed building. What the people wanted from their courthouse was a building that would be a monument and symbol of justice and a reflection of the values and faith that society placed in the law to settle both civil and criminal matters. The architecture, therefore, should reflect the dignity of these concepts in the type of building that was being designed. It should signify strength, pride, confidence, hope for the future and permanence in the law, and the American way of life. Because the counties generally had little tax money, they could not afford to build the type of temples of justice that they envisioned for their counties. In the early 1850s, the state decided to assist the counties by encouraging them to build new and grander courthouses. As an incentive, the state legislature in 1852 passed a bill that allowed counties to receive tax credits for up to six years for revenue that went towards building a new courthouse. A number of counties took the state up on this offer. These antebellum designs replaced the first-generation log structures and the Greek Revival style was a favorite during this period. As counties became more prosperous and the population increased, newer and larger public buildings were needed. Victorian architectural styles were ideal for this purpose. Fire is and was the major enemy of courthouses. Many counties have had more than one courthouse burn since the county was founded. This is ironic in that one of the main reasons for a county having a courthouse was to have a safe place to store valuable county records. Many beautiful buildings have gone up in flames taking the county’s records with them. Two recent examples of this were the Newton County courthouse in Newton and the Hill County courthouse in Hillsboro. Fortunately, both have since been rebuild in their original splendor.

In the post-Civil War era,