|
|
Present
Williamson County Courthouse -
Georgetown,
Texas Date
- 1911
Architect - Charles H. Page
Style - Beaux-arts
Material - Brick
and stone
Remodeled in 1965 |
Williamson
County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
THE
COURTHOUSES OF WILLIAMSON COUNTYBy
Terry
Jeanson
The threat of Indian attacks kept most settlers
away from this area of Texas until after statehood. Separated from western Milam
County, Williamson County was officially organized in 1848. The county seat of
Georgetown was established the same year on
land donated by its namesake, George Washington Glasscock. (Glasscock County was
also named for him.)
Court was initially held under a live oak tree one
block south of the courthouse square until the county’s first courthouse, a 16
foot square, one-room log house, was built in late 1848 or early 1849 east of
the courthouse square. (The square at that time was referred to as the “common.”)
In 1851, the county purchased a one-story, 14 x 30 foot, wood frame home with
a gabled roof from William Patterson for $390. The home was just off the square
on the same block as the log courthouse and it was used as the county’s second
courthouse until 1857 when the third courthouse was constructed on the square.
The third courthouse was a 50 foot square, two-story rubble limestone
building with 2 feet thick walls and a hipped roof and it was the first known
stone building built in town. Joseph S. Williams was paid $5 for the plans but
he may not have been the architect. Construction of this building was poor and
it had to be repaired before it was even completed. In 1873, four iron rods that
were the length of the building had to be installed to stabilize the structure.
In 1877, Austin architect Frederick E. Ruffini and
his architectural partner Jasper N. Preston were hired to design the county’s
fourth courthouse. Ruffini,
with his brother Oscar, designed over a dozen courthouses in Texas in the
late 19th century. Ruffini also worked with Preston in 1878-79 on the former McCulloch
and Gregg County courthouses and again in 1883 when the Bastrop
County courthouse was built. Preston would later go on to design the Bell
County courthouse and the former Washington County courthouse, both in 1884
and the former Mitchell County courthouse (with Ruffini) in 1885, which was a
copy of the Bastrop
County courthouse. The contractor of the fourth Williamson County courthouse
was John Didelot and the cost of construction was $27,400. It was a grand three-story
Second Empire style building of stone with pediments, roof cresting, an elaborate
cornice, corner pavilions with Mansard cupolas and a large rounded cupola over
the front entrance. Completed in 1878, the fourth courthouse was nearly identical
to the 1882
Hays County courthouse (designed by Ruffini, which burned down in 1908) and
the 1882 Robertson
County courthouse (also designed by Ruffini, which still stands today, but
in altered form.) In 1909, the fourth courthouse was deemed no longer safe and
plans were made to fund the construction of a new courthouse. |
 |
The
1877 Williamson County Courthouse
Early 1900s photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com |
| The
fifth and current courthouse was designed by Austin architect Charles Henry Page
of the C.H Page & Bro. architectural firm. The Page
Brothers firm designed almost a dozen courthouses in Texas built between 1908
and 1937. The contractor was W.C. Whitney of Beaumont
and the cost of construction was nearly $120,000. The cornerstone was laid in
1910 and construction was completed in 1911. The three-story buff brick building
with terra cotta and limestone details was built in the Beaux-Arts style with
extended porticos on each side with triple-arched entrances. Two-story Ionic columns
support decorative pediments, pilasters with Ionic capitals separate each bay
of windows and a balustrade surrounds the roof. A copper dome with clocks on each
side sits in the center of the roof with a blindfolded statue of Themis on top
holding scales and a sword. This courthouse received many interior alterations
over the years, including resurfacing the floors, removing of one of the spiral
staircases in the rotunda to install an elevator and dropping the ceiling in the
district courtroom, eliminating the upper balcony. |
 |
Williamson
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo
courtesy TXDoT |
Postcard
view of the courthouse before the 1965-66 alterations.
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
The
courthouse at rededication on December 2007
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
The
exterior was altered in 1965-66 after terra cotta from the roof balustrade began
to crumble and fall off the building. The balustrade and pediments were removed,
replaced by a wall of brick and stone that surrounded the building. In 2000, the
county received funding from the Texas Historical Commission to create plans for
a full historical restoration and a construction grant of nearly $4 million was
awarded to the county in 2004. On the exterior, the balustrades and pediments
were reconstructed and the dome was replaced. The statue of Themis was also removed
and restored. On the interior, the terrazzo floors were reconstructed along with
the spiral staircase and the elevator was relocated. The original paint scheme
on the walls was restored along with the county courtroom and the balcony in the
district courtroom. The restoration was completed and the courthouse was rededicated
on December 8, 2007.
(See Courthouse
Photos)
Terry
Jeanson
May 12, 2013
Sources:
County
history and biographical information from The Handbook of Texas Online. Courthouse
information from The Texas Historical Commission’s County Atlas at http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/shell-desig.htm
National Register of Historic Places: Williamson County Courthouse Historical
District, The Williamson County Historical Commission at http://www.williamson-county-historical-commission.org/
and Courthouses of Williamson County – Historical Narrative by Clara S. Scarbrough,
1980. |
 |
South
side entrance with the Confederate Memorial
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
Detail on the East side (identical to the West side) pediment.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
Detail
on the South side (identical to the North side) pediment.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
| "The
newly restored dome with clocks and a statue of Themis. The stone balustrades
around the roof had to be reconstructed. The Lady Justice statue, a depiction
of Themis, the Greek goddess of divine justice, was removed from the dome in March
of 2006. The statue was restored and sat in the Williamson County Historical Museum
until the restoration of the dome was completed." - Terry
Jeanson |
The
South side portico in January of 2005 and December of 2007
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson |
The
courthouse's dome in January of 2005 and December of 2007
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson |
This
staircase in the southwest corner of the rotunda was completely restored. It had
been removed during an earlier interior remodel, leaving only one staircase in
the rotunda. A painted sign on the wall beneath the staircase reading "THESE SEATS
FOR JANITORS ONLY" was uncovered during the restoration.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
The
interior skylight in the rotunda
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
The
skylight seen from the top floor.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
The
two story district courtroom has been faithfully restored including the upper,
wrap-around balcony.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
View
of the judge's bench from the balcony
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December, 2007 |
Old
postcard view of Williamson County Courthouse
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Christmas
ornament available from the Williamson Museum celebrating the 100th anniversary
of their courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2011 |
The
courthouse front before restoration
TE
Photo, September 2004 |
Courthouse
close up in 2004
TE
Photo | | |
