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The
1886 Bosque County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
by
Swoops
(Lou Ann Herda, Ed. D) |
| The
first thing that some folks might have a hard time with is the name "Bosque."
Some might think, "It looks like 'mosque.' So it must be pronounced 'bosk.'" Or
they might think, "bo-skay." Well, it's neither (or is it ni-ther?).
Those from around this county know it's pronounced "bos-kee."
Bosque (did I say it right?) County is not named for a "who;" it's named for a
"what." In 1721, Spanish explorer the Marques de San Miguel de Aguayo was ambling
his way to an East Texas mission from San Antonio de Bexar. Being an explorer,
he wandered north off of the Old San Antonio Road and, well, went exploring.
De Aguayo camped near the Brazos River and another tributary and looked around.
He saw lots of trees. Since explorers are known for naming things, he hailed the
tributary "Bosque," which is Spanish for "trees." When it came time to name the
county, folks looked at the Bosque River and figured Bosque County was as good
as any other name. So it stuck.
About 1830, George Erath was hired to
survey the land for colonization. Although he didn't have the title of explorer,
he liked naming things, too. While he was surveying near the ninety-eighth meridian,
he named two tributaries the Meridian Creek and the Meridian Knobs. The name "Meridian"
stuck, too, because when it came time to name the county seat, folks decided to
call it just that.
Bosque County is known for its Norwegian influence.
After settling kinsmen in seven other states, Norwegian Cleng Peerson set his
eyes on Texas. Once here, he urged fellow Norwegians
in East Texas to go west, but
not too far. In 1854, he and other Norwegians took advantage of the land give-away
from the state and settled Clifton,
Norse,
and Cranfills
Gap. |
| The
year 1854 was also when Bosque County was established. By that fall, a
one-room log courthouse was erected with Lowry Scrutchfield elected as county
judge. Scrutchfield, one of the original settlers in the county, had assisted
Erath in laying out the town of Waco. Scrutchfield was county judge for four years,
although much of his time was spent warding off Indian attacks. The Comanches
were keeping the settlers busy by stealing whatever they could get their hands
on, from livestock to scalps.
A
second courthouse was erected in 1860 but was destroyed by fire in 1871.
Then for about five years, court was held off and on in a tent
until a two-storied stone courthouse was erected in 1875. That seat of
justice lasted for a decade. Then, in 1886, a fight broke out over the possibility
of building a new courthouse.
It
was the Courthouse Party vs. the Anti-Courthouse Party, verbally duking it out.
The New Courthouse advocates sited the deteriorating building and insufficient
space. The Old Courthouse defenders spat that a new courthouse, costing 60K, would
break the county and raise taxes. These rumblings culminated the day the courthouse
was to be demolished. Commissioner Tom Poole feared for his life as he rode into
town that day, having heard he'd be ambushed for voting for the new courthouse.
He found an angry mob gathered around the Courthouse Square, armed with pistols
and fury. Yet a shot was not fired, and the courthouse was demolished.
Anti-Courthouse Party commissioners A. J. Walton and E. J. W. Odgen refused to
allow their names to be placed on the cornerstone of the building, so only the
names of Courthouse Party County Judge R. G. Childress and commissioners Poole
and John Goodman appear there. These three men were subsequently voted out of
office in the election of 1886 before the courthouse was completed.
The
present Bosque County courthouse, completed
the end of 1886, is a Renaissance Revival courthouse designed originally
by J. J. Cane of Ft. Worth. However, when he designed it, he had a Gothic tower
with small turrets on the corners above the east entrance.
|
 |
| Bosque
County Courthouse Clock Tower Restored
Photo courtesy Sam
Fenstermacher, July 2007 |
Oil
painting of the 1886 Bosque County courthouse displayed in the Bosque County Bank
across from the courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, October 2005 |
Photographer's
Note:
The artist
of the above painting of the Bosque County courthouse is George Hallmark. He is
a local artist and has a studio just outside of town. - Terry
Jeanson, July
16, 2009 |
|
Courtesy Bosque County
Collection |
Courthouse
with tower and mansard roofs
Vintage photo courtesy Rodney Keller |
| The
1886 Bosque County Courthouse cornerstone showing Architect and ornamental rosette.
Photo courtesy Sam
Fenstermacher, July 2007 |
| The
building is made from limestone quarried nearby. Roman arches and heavy rusticated
pilasters reflect the Renaissance Revival style. Stone-carved fancy rosettes adorn
the pilasters. The hipped roofs over the corner pavilions, connected with mansard
roofs, were originally covered with metallic shingles in a diamond pattern.
The Gothic tower and these roofs were replaced with walls in 1935, as a result
of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (WPA). That renovation
also resulted in an addition to the west side of the courthouse. |
Cast-iron stairs,
made in Detroit, Michigan
Photo by Lou Ann Herda |
Bosque
County Courthouse Restoration
2007 |
Clock
tower being fabricated on the ground.
Photo courtesy Sam
Fenstermacher, March 17, 2007 |
The
courthouse less the clock tower.
Photo courtesy Sam
Fenstermacher, March 17, 2007 |
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