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Last President of the Republic

2009-08-05T23:45:50Z

Grave site of the last President of the Republic of Texas, Dr. Anson Jones in Houston. 'The lone star of Texas, which ten years since arose amid cloud, over fields of carnage, and obscurely shone for a while, has culminated, and, following an inscrutable destiny, has passed on and become fixed forever in that glorious constellation which all freemen and lovers of freedom in the world must reverence and adore--the American Union. Blending its rays with its sister stars, long may it continue to shine, and may a gracious heaven smile upon this consummation of the wishes of the two republics, now joined together in one. “May the union be perpetual, and may it be the means of conferring benefits and blessings upon the people of all the States” is my ardent prayer. The final act in this great drama is now performed. The Republic of Texas is no more.' - Anson Jones, February 19, 1846

Lamar County Courthouse

2009-05-17T22:27:46Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #80: Lamar County (Paris, Texas) Established in 1840, Lamar County was named for Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, accomplished poet, hero at the Battle of San Jacinto, Secretary of War and second president of the Republic of Texas from 1838 to 1841. He won the presidency by an almost unanimous vote after both of his opponents, Peter W. Grayson and James Collinsworth committed suicide before the election. He is considered the Father of Texas Education after creating an order that would set aside land in each county for public schools as well as the land that would eventually support the University of Texas and Texas A&M. He also founded the Texas State Library. A bitter enemy of Sam Houston, he moved the capital from Houston (named for Sam Houston) to Austin. He also ordered the removal of the Cherokee from Texas and their resistance resulted in the death of Houston’s friend, Chief Bowl. He was against annexation, something Houston had fought for and would eventually obtain for Texas. After serving as president he went on to distinguish himself at the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican War serving with Zachary Taylor. He is buried in Richmond, Texas. Merchant George W. Wright founded the town of Pinhook when he donated land for the community. The name was changed to Paris, named for Paris, France, by Thomas Poteet, one of Wright’s employees. In 1916 a devastating fire swept through Paris, almost completely destroying the town. The fire destroyed most structures in the business district, including the courthouse. The current courthouse was built the following year and was designed to withstand another fire, using pink granite quarried from the same site as the Texas State Capitol.

Cowtown

2009-05-07T22:30:00Z

Entrance to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

The Fatal Shot

2009-04-28T21:16:05Z

John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 23, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots with a bolt-action rifle from a corner window on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. This spot marks where Kennedy received the third and fatal shot.

Red River County Courthouse

2009-04-19T00:20:31Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #79: Red River County (Clarksville, Texas) Named Rio Rojo by the Spanish for the red clay found in the riverbed, the Red River separates Red River County from Oklahoma and is the source of the county’s name. In the early 1800’s many American settlers moved to the area assuming it was a section of the Louisiana Purchase acquired by the United States. It wasn’t until the United States refused to issue land grants that the settlers turned to the Mexican government for valid land titles. After the Texas Revolution, Red River County encompassed most of northeast Texas and included all or parts of 39 current Texas counties. James Clark was a justice of the peace and a representative from Jonesborough which was the county seat of Morris County, Arkansas (now Red River County, Texas). In 1833 he moved his family south and founded the town of Clarksville. The uncertainty of whether the area belonged to the United States or Mexico ended (at least for the settlers) when James Clark raised a company of riflemen known as the Red River Blues and headed south to help fight for Texas independence. After the Texas Revolution Clarksville became the county seat of Red River County in the Republic of Texas. The 1884 Red River courthouse is one of the most impressive in Northeast Texas. The clock tower is known by the residents as “Old Red” and the entire structure went through recent renovations. My Dad and I were lucky enough to get there early enough that we were able to visit the courtroom which has been returned to its original look (See my Flickr photostream).

Bowie County Courthouse

2009-04-18T00:32:12Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #78: Bowie County (New Boston, Texas) Bowie County is located in the northwest corner of Texas and borders both Arkansas and Oklahoma. The county was formed in 1840 and named for Jim Bowie. Bowie gained fame during his lifetime as a frontiersman and for the knife he made famous when he used the large blade to kill Norris Wright after being stabbed and shot himself in what would become known as the Sandbar Fight. Bowie moved to Texas in 1830 and became a Mexican citizen. In 1831 he married Maria Ursula de Veramendi whose father would become the vice-governor of the province of Coahuila y Tejas. His legend grew after his expeditions to find the 'lost' Los Almagres Mine that was rumored to exist near the ruins of the San Saba Mission west of San Antonio. His men would encounter a large group of Indians and fought them off for thirteen hours despite being outnumbered. It is said that Bowie’s men killed fourteen Indians and lost only one of their own. After word of the fight reached San Antonio most, including Bowie’s wife, presumed they had been killed. A few days later Bowie and his men returned to San Antonio much to everyone’s surprise. Tragically, Bowie’s pregnant wife Ursula and their daughter died in a cholera epidemic in 1833. Jim Bowie is most famous for, of course, his role in the Texas Revolution. Although he is most known for fighting at the Alamo, he also fought at the Battle of Concepcion and the Grass Fight. After becoming gravely ill during the siege of the Alamo, it is believed he fought from his cot, back to the wall as Mexican soldiers entered his room. Legend says he used his gun and famous Bowie knife to kill several Mexicans before being overtaken. His body was burned along with the other Alamo defenders after their defeat. Later, when his mother was given the news of his death, she replied, 'I'll wager no wounds were found in his back.' A year after the Alamo fell, Juan Seguin returned and gathered ashes from what remained of the funeral pyre. The ashes were placed in a simple coffin inscribed: Bowie, Travis, and Crockett. The remains were then interred in the Cathedral of San Fernando near the Alamo, the same church from which Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna hoisted his flag of “No Quarter”. The original county seat of Bowie County was in Boston, now known as Old Boston, not to be confused with the current Boston down the road or New Boston a little farther down the road, which is not really all that “new” seeing as though it’s actually older than Boston, the newer one, not Old Boston which actually is old. The first courthouse was in Boston, the one now known as Old Boston. Then the seat was moved all the way to Texarkana before being moved back to the center of the county just north of Boston. By this time there was already a New Boston a few miles to the north. The new courthouse was neither in Boston nor New Boston so a new town was formed. They attempted to name the new town something different but eventually the post office in Boston was relocated to the new county seat and retained the name Boston. So the new town became Boston and the old Boston became Old Boston and New Boston stayed the same, even though it was no longer new. The courthouse stayed in Boston until 1986 when a new one was built next door in New Boston, although Boston is still officially the county seat. The 1889 courthouse in Boston was abandoned after the move and on August 13, 1987 an arsonist burned it to the ground. What remains in Boston’s old courthouse square is a pretty sad lot overgrown with weeds and neglect. The old jail still stands on the corner, but in such bad shape it’s a wonder the building is still standing. The new courthouse in New Boston was built in 1985.

Franklin County Courthouse

2009-04-03T23:10:03Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #77: Franklin County (Mount Vernon, Texas) Benjamin Cromwell Franklin came to Texas in 1835 and became an important figure in the revolution and development of the young Republic of Texas. He fought under Robert Calder at San Jacinto and was ordered by Thomas Rusk to go to Galveston to inform interim President David Burnet of the victory. Later that year, Franklin became the first man to hold a judicial position in the Republic of Texas and would become a member of the Republic’s Supreme Court. During the Civil War he retired to a small farm near Livingston where he lived until 1870. He moved to Galveston and died there in 1873. The county of Franklin was established two years later. Mount Vernon, named for the homestead of George Washington, was chosen as the county seat. The town had previously been known as Keith and Lone Star. The Franklin County courthouse was built in 1912 in the classical style.

Delta County Courthouse

2009-04-01T19:54:41Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #76: Delta County (Cooper, Texas) Delta County is a small rural area north of Sulphur Springs in Northeast Texas. Named for its shape, it was formed in the summer of 1870 after the citizens of the area requested a new county be drawn. To honor Leroy Washington Cooper, the chairman of the House Committee on Counties and Boundaries who granted their request, the citizens of the newly formed county named the new county seat Cooper. Cooper is a small little town off the beaten path, a town I had never even heard of until this trip. Cooper’s town square is big enough, even though it looks like not much ever goes on there. In the center of the square is a big open space where the old 1900 courthouse once stood. The current one was built a block away in 1940.

Hopkins County Courthouse

2009-03-30T22:50:58Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #75: Hopkins County (Sulphur Springs, Texas) Created in 1846, Hopkins County was named for the David Hopkins family who were early settlers of the area. David Hopkins was born in Indiana in 1825 and came to Texas with his family in 1840. The county seat was originally located in Tarrant but in 1871 it was moved to the town of Bright Star. Attempting to take advantage of mineral springs in the area, the town changed its name to Sulphur Springs in hopes of attracting visitors. The courthouse was built on the corner of the town square in 1895. Designed by famous courthouse architect J. Riely Gordon it is reminiscent of the courthouse in Waxahachie and one of the most outstanding in Northeast Texas.

Titus County Courthouse

2009-03-27T23:10:52Z

Texas County Courthouse Project #74: Titus County (Mount Pleasant, Texas) Created in 1846, Titus County was named in honor of one the original settlers in the area, Andrew Jackson Titus. Titus moved to Texas in 1839 and quickly became an important figure in the development of Northeast Texas. He served as postmaster, worked for annexation to the United States, was a veteran of the Mexican War and served as a representative of the area in the State Legislature. Mount Pleasant was chosen as the county seat of Titus County when it was formed in 1846. There are no mountains in sight of Mount Pleasant, rather the name actually comes from Caddo Indian burial mounds that were said to exist in the center of the county. The few remaining Indians left when the pioneers arrived referred to it as the Pleasant Mound. The anglo settlers adopted the name and turned it into Mount Pleasant. The Titus County courthouse has lived a long life with a strange identity crisis. It began in 1895 as a beautiful Victorian structure with an impressive bell tower. Then in 1940 the county figured it needed a modern upgrade, but rather than tear down the old courthouse as most counties did, they just removed everything that made it look good. It lasted as an Art Deco style building until the 1960’s when they must have decided it looked too dull, so they slapped metal siding over the entire thing, windows included. For awhile it was considered by many as the ugliest courthouse in Texas. Finally, the building went through yet another major redesign, returning it back to the Art Deco style of the 1940’s. One strange thing about the courthouse that stuck out as soon as we stepped out of the truck was the music. The building has speakers mounted every few feet around the entire edge of the roof. While we were there walking around taking pictures we were entertained with fairly loud and very persistent elevator music.