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1927
San Augustine County Courthouse
Photo
courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2007 |
| The
1927 San Augustine County Courthouse
The
1927 Classical Revival Courthouse is the county's third. You can't miss it, but
the address is a memorable one - Main and Broadway. It's constructed of limestone
and concrete according to The Courthouses of Texas by Mavis Kelsey Sr. and
Donald Dyal.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001
San
Augustine County Courthouse History:
See
San Augustine County
Courthouse Historical Marker >
Photograher's
Note: In January of 2008, San Augustine County was awarded a grant of $3,727,131.00
by the Texas Historical Commission towards the restoration of their county courthouse.
- Terry
Jeanson, August 9, 2008
San
Augustine County Courthouse Today
> |
San
Augustine County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo
courtesy of TXDoT |
Historical
Marker TextSan Augustine
County CourthouseWhen
the town of San Augustine was platted in
1834, this property was reserved for the public square, but it was another 20
years before the first courthouse was constructed here.
San
Augustine was one of the 23 original counties established after Texas
won independence from Mexico
in 1836. Early courts were held in the Mansion Hotel, and by 1840 the county government
operated out of the federal custom house. In 1854, San Augustine County built
its first courthouse on the public square. The subsequent courthouse, an 1890
Italianate structure, was razed to make room for the current building.
Completed in 1927, the third San Augustine County Courthouse is constructed of
Texas lueders stone. It is symmetrical in plan with a prominent central entry
bay and exhibits influences of the Classical Revival style of architecture. The
County Commissioners Court, with county judge Ed Kennon presiding, selected East
Texas architect Shirley Simons as the designer and the firm of Campbell and
White as the builders.
Over the years, the square has been a gathering
place for community and county events. Monuments placed on the grounds include
a bronze statue of James
Pinckney Henderson,
first governor of the state of Texas and a resident of San
Augustine; and a veterans memorial erected in 1951. The 1927 courthouse stands
as a center of politics and government for the people of San Augustine County
and an important part of the city's 20th-century architectural
heritage.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001 |
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San
Augustine County Courthouse
Photos
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2010 |
San
Augustine County Courthouse Courtroom
Photos
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2010 |
1927 San Augustine
County Courthouse Cornerstone
Photograher's
Note: "This stone on the left side of the front entrance lists the building's
architect as Shirley Simons and the builders as Campbell & White. A stone on the
right side of the front entrance lists the names of the county commissioners and
the county judge at the time of the courthouse's construction." - Terry
Jeanson |
Tapestry
hanging in the courthouse stairwell
Photo
courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2007 |
Scrolling
Through History by
Bob Bowman
"The search system -- which has brought unbridled joy
to genealogists and historians -- is believed to be the most comprehensive county
archive system in Texas.
It took two years for Murphy and three employees
to feed every county document into the $450,000 system that holds everything from
slave sale records to current court cases." ... more
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San
Augustine County ForumShooting
of Rangers in San Augustine County
In July 1918, a squad of Texas Rangers
was sent to San Augustine county to round up deserters from the army. Two Rangers
went to the farm house of Samuel Williams to recover his son Sam Williams and
Daniel Evans. In a gun fight early in the morning, Ranger White was killed and
the other Ranger wounded. A massive manhunt pursued in the coming days lead by
twenty Rangers and more than a hundred volunteers from surrounding cities. The
two deserters were surrounded and turned themselves in after four days. The two
were taken to Camp Travis and tried in a military court. They were both found
guilty and sentenced to death. Their sentences were later commuted to life in
prison and eventually they were released from Fort Leavenworth in the Thirties,
I believe.
I have been researching this account and would like to know
if [anyone has] information on this case and the reasons surrounding the commuting
of sentence and release of the two men. In interviews with family members of the
young men I have unconfirmed tales of presidential pardons resulting from the
actions of the fallen Texas Ranger and his partner.
This is a very interesting
part of the history of San Augustine county and is a reflection of the attitude
toward the Great War among Southern families whom felt no connection with the
U.S. Government.
Any information anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.
- John D Carrell, Mesquite, Texas, October 25, 2006 |
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