|
San Augustine
County Courthouse
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2007 |
|
The 1927
San Augustine County Courthouse
The 1927 Classical Revival Courthouse is the county's third. You
can't miss it, but the address is a memorable one - Main and Broadway.
It's constructed of limestone and concrete according to The Courthouses
of Texas by Mavis Kelsey Sr. and Donald Dyal.
San Augustine County Courthouse History:
See San
Augustine County Courthouse Historical Marker ›
Photograher's Note: In January of 2008, San
Augustine County was awarded a grant of $3,727,131.00 by the
Texas Historical Commission towards the restoration of their county
courthouse. - Terry
Jeanson, August 9, 2008
San
Augustine County Courthouse Today ›
|
San Augustine
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy of TXDoT |
Historical Marker
San Augustine
County Courthouse
When the town
of San Augustine was platted
in 1834, this property was reserved for the public square, but it
was another 20 years before the first courthouse was constructed
here.
San Augustine was one of the
23 original counties established after Texas
won independence from Mexico
in 1836. Early courts were held in the Mansion Hotel, and by 1840
the county government operated out of the federal custom house.
In 1854, San
Augustine County built its first courthouse on the public square.
The subsequent courthouse, an 1890 Italianate structure, was razed
to make room for the current building.
Completed in 1927, the third San Augustine County Courthouse is
constructed of Texas lueders stone. It is symmetrical in plan with
a prominent central entry bay and exhibits influences of the Classical
Revival style of architecture. The County Commissioners Court, with
county judge Ed Kennon presiding, selected East
Texas architect Shirley Simons as the designer and the firm
of Campbell and White as the builders.
Over the years, the square has been a gathering place for community
and county events. Monuments placed on the grounds include a bronze
statue of James
Pinckney Henderson, first governor of the state of Texas and
a resident of San Augustine;
and a veterans memorial erected in 1951. The 1927 courthouse stands
as a center of politics and government for the people of San
Augustine County and an important part of the city's 20th-century
architectural
heritage.
Recorded
Texas Historic Landmark - 2001
|
 |
San Augustine
County Courthouse
Photos courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2010 |
San Augustine
County Courthouse Courtroom
Photos courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2010 |
1927 San Augustine
County Courthouse Cornerstone
Photograher's Note:
"This stone on the left side of the front entrance lists the
building's architect as Shirley Simons and the builders as Campbell
& White. A stone on the right side of the front entrance lists the
names of the county commissioners and the county judge at the time
of the courthouse's construction." - Terry
Jeanson |
Tapestry hanging
in the courthouse stairwell
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2007 |
Scrolling
Through History by
Bob Bowman
"The search system -- which has brought unbridled joy to genealogists
and historians -- is believed to be the most comprehensive county
archive system in Texas.
It took two years for Murphy and three employees to feed every county
document into the $450,000 system that holds everything from slave
sale records to current court cases." ... more
|
San Augustine
County Forum
Shooting
of Rangers in San Augustine County
In July 1918, a squad of Texas Rangers was sent to San
Augustine County to round up deserters from the army. Two Rangers
went to the farm house of Samuel Williams to recover his son Sam
Williams and Daniel Evans. In a gun fight early in the morning,
Ranger White was killed and the other Ranger wounded. A massive
manhunt pursued in the coming days lead by twenty Rangers and more
than a hundred volunteers from surrounding cities. The two deserters
were surrounded and turned themselves in after four days. The two
were taken to Camp Travis and tried in a military court. They were
both found guilty and sentenced to death. Their sentences were later
commuted to life in prison and eventually they were released from
Fort Leavenworth in the Thirties, I believe.
I have been researching this account and would like to know if [anyone
has] information on this case and the reasons surrounding the commuting
of sentence and release of the two men. In interviews with family
members of the young men I have unconfirmed tales of presidential
pardons resulting from the actions of the fallen Texas Ranger and
his partner.
This is a very interesting part of the history of San
Augustine County and is a reflection of the attitude toward
the Great War among Southern families whom felt no connection with
the U.S. Government.
Any information anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.
- John D Carrell, Mesquite, Texas, October 25, 2006
|
|
|
HOME
