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Texas : Architecture : Courthouses - Johnson City

BLANCO COUNTY COURTHOUSE
County Seat - Johnson City, Texas

Blanco County has had three courthouses:
1916 - Johnson City
1885 - Blanco
1860 - Blanco

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1916 Blanco County Courthouse, Johnson City, Texas today

1916 Blanco County Courthouse today
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009

The Present Blanco County Courthouse - Johnson City

Date - 1916
Architect - Henry T. Phelps
Style - Classical Revival
Material - Stone

The Johnson City Courthouse is the last of three for Blanco County. Two previous courthouses were in Blanco. One, an 1885 F.E. Ruffini design, has recently been restored. The county seat was moved from Blanco to Johnson City in 1890.

1916 Blanco County Courthouse historical marker
1885 Blanco County Courthouse
Stories about the 1885 Blanco County Courthouse
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The 1916 Blanco County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, January, 2007

1916 Blanco County Courthouse, Johnson City, Texas old photo

Blanco County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT

1916 Blanco County Courthouse entrance, Johnson City, Texas

Courthouse entrance
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009

1916 Blanco County Courthouse cornerstone, Johnson City, Texas today

1916 Blanco County Courthouse cornerstone
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009
More Texas Cornerstones

1916 Blanco County Courthouse historical marker, Johnson City, Texas

1916 Blanco County Courthouse historical marker
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009
Texas History

1916 Blanco County Courthouse back view, Johnson City, Texas

Blanco County Courthouse north view
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009

Johnson City Bi-Centennial 1976 Time Capsule on courthouse ground
Photo courtesy William Beauchamp, June 2009

1916 Blanco County Courthouse, Johnson City, Texas old postcard

Another early view of the 1916 Blanco County Courthouse
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/

The 1885 Blanco County Courthouse - Blanco, Texas

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.

1885 Former Blanco County courthouse, Blanco Texas

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

The 1885 Blanco County courthouse in Blanco Texas, old photo

Early photo of the 1885 former Blanco County courthouse
Photo courtesy Texas State Library and Archives

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

More about the 1885 Blanco County Courthouse

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

The Bones in the Courthouse Crawlspace by Johnny Stucco
It’s currently a garden-variety mystery. But like they say in the newspaper business: “you never know.” ...more

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