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Blanco County TX
Blanco County

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BLANCO, TEXAS

Blanco County, Texas Hill Country

30° 5' 58" N, 98° 25' 20" W (30.099444, -98.422222)

Highway 281 and FMs 1888 and 165
14 Miles S of Johnson City the county seat
33 Miles SE of Fredericksburg
50 Miles SW of Austin
51 Miles N of San Antonio
Population: 2,071 est. (2019)
1,739 (2010) 1,505 (2000) 1,238 (1990)

Blanco, Texas Area Hotels
Johnson City Hotels | Fredericksburg Hotels

TX Blanco River in Blanco State Park
Blanco River in Blanco State Park
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

First settlement began in 1853 when cabins were built on the banks of the Blanco River. The following year investors of the Pittsburgh Land Company, bought Horace Eggleston's land grant and platted a town they called Pittsburgh after the company's founder, General Pitts. The new community was on the south side of the river.

That same year a Methodist church was organized and the building also doubled as the first school. The Masonic Lodge of Twin Sisters moved to Pittsburg in the late 1850s.

The county was organized in 1858 and instead of Pittsburgh, a new town on the opposite bank of the river was to become the county seat. The Pittsburgh Land Company didn't seem bothered by the snub, for they donated 120 acres of land for the new town. A post office was granted in 1858 and two years later the county's first courthouse was built.

The Masons penned a charter for a Masonic University in 1874, but after the foundation was laid, funds dried up. A native stone courthouse replaced the log structure in 1875. Architects for the project were the Ruffini Brothers (Frederick E. and Oscar) who were to become prolific builders across Texas. The former courthouse burned in 1876 and that's the year the citizenry of Johnson City first petitioned for an election in hopes of "stealing" the title from Blanco. Johnson City lost.

In 1884 a high school was built on the abandoned foundation of the university that never was. The school opened in the fall of 1884, and the first class graduated three years later. Johnson City won an election in 1890 and the records were transfered there from Blanco the following year. The rivalry between the two towns continues to this day.

From a population of less than 500 in 1904, Blanco grew to 1,100 by 1939, the year they incorporated. In the 1940s, it dropped back to 453 but once again grew to 1,238 for the 1990 Census. In 2000 it reported 1,505 residents.

The courthouse has been restored in recent years, making one of the best preserved former courthouses in the state and is a fine example of the Ruffini Brother's work.



Blanco, Texas
Attractions & Landmarks


Former Blanco County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
The 1885 Former Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco


Blanco TX - Old Blanco County Jail
The 1877 Blanco County Jail in Blanco
Photo by Michael Barr, April 2021
Another Slow Night at the Blanco County Jail
by Michael Barr


Limestone building, Blanco Texas
Blanco Architecture
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


Blanco Texas theater
A Theater in Blanco
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


Downtown Blanco Texas
Downtown Blanco
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


Blanco City Hall, Texas
Blanco City Hall
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


TX - Fishing in Blanco State Park
Fishing in Blanco State Park in Blanco
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, 2006


TX Blanco State Park Geese
Geese watching in Blanco State Park
Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, 2006


Blanco River, Blanco State Park, Blanco Texas
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2005
Blanco River
Blanco State Park


Blanco TX - CCC stone arch  bridge
The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) stone arch bridge in Blanco
Downstream and across the Blanco River from Blanco State Park

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2007


Blanco TX - CCC stone arch  bridge
The CCC stone arch bridge
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2007


Blanco TX - CCC stone  arch bridge
The CCC stone arch bridge viewed from the other side
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2007
More Texas Bridges



Blanco, Texas Chronicles


Former Blanco County courthouse, Blanco Texas, Ruffini 1885
The 1885 former Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco
Photo courtesy Texas State Library and Archives
See Blanco County Courthouse

  • Blanco County Courthouse

  • A Bitter Election in Blanco County by Michael Barr

  • Another Slow Night at the Blanco County Jail by Michael Barr

  • The Ghost on Highway 281 by C.F. Eckhardt ("Charley Eckhardt's Texas" Column)
    "... About a year and a half later John was in the old Jailhouse Barber Shop in Blanco, and he mentioned seeing the guy with the knife alongside 281. "Oh," somebody said, "you saw Lackey's ghost." ... As it turned out, John wasn't the only person who'd seen Lackey trying to hitch a ride north toward Johnson City. A lot of people were aware of him. Truckers don't like to drive that stretch on fall nights..."

  • The Bones in the Courthouse Crawlspace by Johnny Stucco
    What the exterminator saw...

  • Courthouse Savior by Terry Jeanson
    Persistence and Tenacity Preserves Blanco Landmark
    JoNell Haas and The 1885 former Blanco County Courthouse

  • The Revenge of 'Devil John' McCoy by Murray Montgomery
    E.G. McCoy, of Blanco, came to Gonzales and had a chat with the local editor. McCoy’s narrative of an event involving his father was published in the Inquirer way back in 1879. His father, John, was a pretty tough ol’ boy and had a natural dislike for Indians. I think you will find by reading the article, that John McCoy wasn’t one to forgive and forget.

  • Dove Hunting and the $24 Doctor Bill by Mike Cox



  • The 1885 Blanco County Courthouse
    - Blanco, Texas

    1885 Former Blanco County courthouse, Blanco Texas
    The restored 1885 Blanco County courthouse in Blanco.
    Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, March 2007

    Date - 1885
    Architect - F. E. Ruffini
    Style - Second Empire
    Material - Limestone

    Blanco’s architectural centerpiece is (and has been) the former Blanco County courthouse. Although it served in that capacity briefly (Johnson City usurped Blanco’s claim around 1890), the sturdy stone structure has since served the town as a hospital, school and even a barbeque joint. It was boarded up and was in disrepair in the mid 1990s. But Preservation-minded locals got together and formed the Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society. The building has since been beautifully restored and is now one of the best extant examples of the art of Architect F.E. Ruffini. This and 37 other buildings in Blanco are in the National Register of Historic Places.

    Former Blanco County Courthouse
    Another view of the Former Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006


    Former Blanco County courthouse in Blanco, before restoration, 1990s
    The courthouse before restoration
    Courtesy of the San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation



    Blanco, Texas Trip
  • Swimming to Mexico

  • TX  - Blanco River
    Blanco River in Blanco
    Photo courtesy Sarah Reveley, 2006


    TX Blanco County 1940s Map
    Blanco County 1940s map
    From Texas state map #4335
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office

    Take a road trip

    Texas Hill Country

    Blanco, Texas Area Towns:
    Johnson City
    Fredericksburg
    See Blanco County

    Book Hotel Here:
    Johnson City Hotels | Fredericksburg Hotels | More Hotels

    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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