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The 1955 Smith
County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Lori Martin, 2005 |
The Present
Smith County Courthouse
Date
- 1955
Architect - Thomas Jameson & Merrell
Style - Modern
Material - Concrete, brick and stone |
Smith County
"Tyler,
settled in the 1840s, owes its name to President John Tyler. Smith
County, of which Tyler
has been the only county seat, was created in 1846 from part of what
is now Nacogdoches County. the county was named for General James
Smith, a Texas Revolution leader who was serving in the Republic of
Texas Congress when the county was named for him."
From Tyler:
A drive with beauty and history by Bob Bowman
"The
East Texas Sunday Drive Book" |
The 1910
Smith County Courthouse
|
The 1910 Smith
County Courthouse
1939 photo courtesy of TXDoT |
Vintage postcard
featuring the 1910 Smith County courthouse. On display at the historic
1881 Smith County jail (now a lawyer's office) at 309 E. Erwin.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson
, July 2007 |
Prints of these
oil paintings of the 1910 Smith County courthouse are also on display
inside the old Smith County jail.
Terry
Jeanson,
July 2007 |
Another view
of the 1910 Smith County Courthouse
1912 postcard courtesy THC |
In what may
be the only photo of its kind, the previous Smith County courthouse
retains its dignity even while being dismantled in front of its replacement
in 1955.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society |
The 1851
Smith County Courthouse
|
| "After
a series of three log cabins over five years served as the county
courthouse, the cornerstone was laid in December 1851, for a new courthouse,
Tyler’s first brick structure. The two-story building was 40 feet
by 70 feet and sat in the middle of the square. In 1876 a third story
was added, as well as a clock tower that never had a timepiece installed."
- From "Tyler"
by Robert E. Reed Jr. |
|
East Side of
the Smith County Courthouse c. 1876
"A clock tower rising 65 feet above the ground was also added,
though no clock was ever installed."
Photo
Courtesy Smith County Historic Society
|
View of a circus
parade circling the town square c. 1904 taken from the roof of the
Smith County Courthouse.
Photo Courtesy Smith County Historical Society
See Tyler,
Texas |
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