| |
The 1956 Aransas County courthouse
Photo
courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2005 |
The Current
Aransas County Courthouse
Date - 1956
Architect - Lynn A. Evans
Style - Modern
Material - Brick
& steel
Addition - 1983
Aransas
CountyHistorical
Marker Text:
Created out of the coastal portion of Refugio County in 1871,
Aransas County is the second smallest county in Texas. Within its boundaries are
three bays of the Gulf of Mexico: Copano, St. Charles, and Aransas. The area was
the site of early Indian inhabitation and Spanish exploration, as well as Anglo
colonization efforts of the 1830s and 1840s. Aransas County communities are supported
by such industries as fishing, agriculture, off-shore oil production, bird watching,
and tourism. The county is home to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, created
in 1937.
(1990) |
"Another view of the Aransas
County courthouse with the 1980s addition on the right."
Photo
courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2005 |
| "The
closest thing this courthouse has to a cornerstone, this is printed on the tall,
black granite block in the middle of the building." - Terry
Jeanson |
The
1889 Aransas County Courthouse, razed |
| "This
photo of the old Aransas County courthouse and jail is displayed in the foyer.
Like the courthouse, the two-story, 1890 brick jail was designed by architect
J. Riely Gordon. It was used until 1955." - Terry
Jeanson |
The
1889 Aransas County CourthouseDesigned
by J. Riley Gordon whose other courthouses include the Counties of Bexar,
Comal,
Ellis,
Erath,
Fayette,
Gonzales,
Hopkins,
Lee, Victoria
and Wise.
Rockport had been the seat of Refugio County until the creation of Aransas
County in 1871.
This ornate Moorish design enjoyed popularity for a
time. Architects, particularly those from the eastern U.S., somehow associated
palm trees and severe humidity with north Africa and southern Spain.
Most of Gordon's designs took climate into consideration, providing ventilation
through placement of doors with a central tower.
Razed in the mid-1960s.
|
| | The
1889 Aransas County Courthouse as it appered in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
| "An
oil painting of the 1889 Aransas County courthouse displayed in the lobby of the
current courthouse." Terry
Jeanson |
| The
most picturesque courthouse of Aransas County was the Moorish design by J. Riely
Gordon, finished in 1889, razed mid-1960s
TE Postcard archives |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
us. | |
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