In 1854, methodist reverend pleasant tackett led 15 pioneer families into a land they called goshen, which would later become part of parker county, itself to be created the following year by the efforts of state representative isaac parker and state senator thomas jefferson weatherford in the texas state legislature. Texas historic courthouses include some of the finest works of public architecture in texas and the nation. In county seats, county courthouses occupy prominent positions on public squares, land often donated. Inventory of county records, parker county courthouse.
View historic photos of weatherford from the weatherford college library, hosted by the portal to texas history. The 1890 donley county courthouse the romanesque revival stone and brick courthouse is the third temple of justice for the county. A first of its kind, the courthouses of central texas offers an indepth, comparative architectural survey of fifty county courthouses, which serve as a representative sample of larger trends at play throughout the rest of the state. As of may 9, 2016, i have visited all of them at least once, photographed their courthouses, and whatever else is of interest to me, and have posted all 254 county. More history available online at the texas state historical association and on wikipedia. The countys center point is at 3240 north latitude and 9740 west longitude. The town of weatherford was named for the state senator for this district, thomas jefferson weatherford 18111867 of dallas.
Weatherford, texas is home to hundreds of professional trainers, halloffame horses and a breathtaking, lifesize bronze cutting horse. In 1998, the national trust named texas courthouses to its list of americas 11 most endangered historic places. Inventory of county records, parker county courthouse, weatherford. History home weatherford texas chamber of commerce. View all hotels near parker county courthouse on tripadvisor. Historic texas courthouses by michael andrews, hardcover. The following year, the texas legislature and governor george w. The photo was taken shortly after completion of the courthouse. The square also was the site of the next courthouse. Fourth courthouse in history of county, organized 1856. Please fix the name of the page and remove all the about information as it is about the actual coryell county courthouse in. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. This pink texas granite building, in renaissance revival style, closely resembles the. We strive to do this in a courteous, efficient and professional manner.
Guide to parker county texas ancestry, family history, and genealogy. The courthouses of central texas by brantley hightower. The style and design is similar to his other texas courthouses in. Another landmark is the second empire style parker county courthouse, which is located. Weatherford is a city in and the seat of parker county, texas, united states. Coryell county courthouse weatherford, texas courthouse.
County courthouses, symbols of selfgovernment, are among the most substantial and attractive public buildings erected in texas. Libraries to the portal to texas history, a digital repository hosted by the unt libraries. This book is well laid out by county, with a photograph and architecture description of each courthouse. Donley county courthouse texas travel, texas history, texas.
Inventory of records of parker county housed in the parker county courthouse in weatherford. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the dates you selected. The handbook of texas online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the texas state historical association and the general libraries at ut austin. Tarrant county courthouse the portal to texas history.
History of brownwood brownwood, tx official website. Aug 20, 2018 james riely gordon was a practicing architect during what has been called the golden age of texas courthouses, the 1880s and 1890s. History if youre like me, when you hear the name texas panhandle, you probably think blue northers and the palo duro canyon. A second courthouse, built during 1876 and 1877, was razed in 1894. Jury duty, district and county clerk of court, phone number, and other parker county info. In 2001, dallas county received a planning grant in round ii, which. By then, almost all of the 254 texas counties now in existence had been established. The second source of light came in the form of gas in the late 1800s.
The parker county courthouse in weatherford, texas, west of fort. Dallas county courthouse 1892 254 texas courthouses. The tarrant county clerks office is committed to its statutory responsibilities as caretaker of the public record and partner to the judiciary. Speaker of the house jim wright grew up in weatherford and even wrote a book about his youth, weatherford days. Cynthia ann lived among the comanche and became the mother of chief quanah parker. Today more than 234 courthouses still stand that are least 50 years old. Images of courthouse construction and early pioneering families are among the first glimpses into weatherford s fascinating history. Donley county courthouse texas travel, texas history. Parker countys first courthouse was built of rough pine lumber in 1856. Early history in 1855, parker county was created by the texas state legislature and named for pioneer and state representative isaac parker.
Gunn and louis curtiss and built by the probst construction company of chicago, 18931895. Parker county, in north central texas, is bounded on the north by jack and wise counties, on the east by tarrant county, on the south by hood and johnson counties, and on the west by palo pinto county. The 2010 united states census stated the population as being 29,969. It is a pink texas granite building in renaissance revival style, closely resembling the texas state capitol with the exception of the clock tower. Built in 18841886, it was the countys fourth courthouse. Despite the odds of indian raids, the civil war, and one mans feud, weatherford began as a small frontier settlement in the mid1800s. Enhancing the beauty of the courthouse is why parker county judge mark riley formed a citizens committee in the summer of 20, with a directive to bring ideas to the table from the community for making the courthouse a more prominent feature during the christmas holiday as it was in the past. The books in this section are all printed books most are hardbound, and are not cds or dvds. These are books that were published by a wide variety of publishers between the 1880s and recent years and are from. Jasper countys first courthouse, a onestory building on the north side of the square in carthage, was built by levi h.
Despite the odds of indian raids, the civil war, and one mans feud, weatherford began as a small frontier settlement in the mid1800s, and quickly grew into a bustling west texas county seat known for its victorian beauty, homegrown peaches, and smalltown charm. View online at brigham young university library web site includes pages from an early history of fayette county, fayette county past and present, and old plum grove cemetery. The building was completed in 1866, but it burned in a fire in 1876 which destroyed all county documents. The 1886 parker county courthouse in weatherford was designed by architect w.
The early history kerosene lamps were the first lights in the city of weatherford. While our physical offices are closed until at least april due austins covid19 shelterinplace order, the handbook of texas will remain available at nocost for you, your fellow history enthusiasts, and all texas students currently mandated to study from home. According to the texas historical commission, texas has more historic courthouses that any other state. Weatherford public library provides free online access to fulltext historical documents, photos, and oral histories through the preserving and expanding access to culture and history peach project. Inventory of county recordsgalveston county courthouse, volumes i and iii, compiled by diane hill, et al austin. Learn the history of brownwood and view vintage photos of our amazing city. Some 9 texas courthouses are listed in the national register of historic places.
Texas courthouses national trust for historic preservation. The historic dallas county courthouse has regional architectural significance. The exterior of the parker county courthouse was restored in the early 1990s. History the tarrant county courthouse was designed by the architecture firm of frederick c. The crown jewel is the breathtaking parker county courthouse. Municipal court mission the mission of the municipal court is to provide equal and impartial justice under the law. Completed in 1886 of parker county limestone it is located in the geographical center of the county. Weatherford, texas arcadia publishing history books. Inventory of county records, parker county courthouse, weatherford, texas. Aerial view of the front of the tarrant county courthouse. Delivering an education in the elements of architectural style, this book gives attention to one hundred landmark courthouses in texas.
The dallas county courthouse has been described as second to none in the south, a building to reflect the wealth and enterprise of the states leading county. Constructed over a 100yearperiod from the 1850s to the 1950s, these buildings come in almost every style, from romanesque to art deco. Gammel, 1898, reprinted university of north texas libraries, the portal to texas history. Located on houston street between main and commerce, its now the old red museum of dallas county history and culture. The tarrant county courthouse was designed by the architecture firm of frederick c. These are books that were published by a wide variety of publishers between the. Parker county courthouse scene of many noted trials. It gets cold, cold in the panhandle where theres hardly anything but barbed wire fence to keep out the brisk arctic wind in the winter.
An oak on fort belknap road was court site that year. Parker county the handbook of texas online texas state. In county seats, county courthouses occupy prominent positions on public squares, land often donated by town founders as sites for governmental structures. Weatherford today the city of weatherford occupies a territory of approximately 27. A photo and description of each courthouse is included. Photographs and history of the county courthouses in texas. Historic parker county courthouse parker county, tx.
If you have the capacity to help us maintain our online texas history resources during these uncertain times, please consider. Parker county courthouse, recorded texas historic landmark. Begins with an introduction and explanation of the roles of various county government offices. This is parker county courthouse, not coryell county courthouse.
Construction of a county courthouse was delayed until after the civil war. Historic parker county courthouse parker county, tx official. The building now referred to as old red served as the dallas county courthouse from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. It is the mission of the tarrant county clerks office to provide costeffective services and a satisfying citizen experience. Shop for texas courthouse art prints from our community of independent artists and iconic brands. More information about this book can be viewed below. Parker county court in weatherford, tx court information countycourthouse. It is certainly one of the more significant romanesque revival structures in texas. It also tells how many structures each county has had for. Read about the history of brown county on roots web. Describes the records of the commissioners court, county clerk, county court, county attorney, district clerk, district attorney, justice of the peace, sheriff, tax assessorcollector, treasurer.
Each texas courthouse art print is produced using archival inks, ships within 48 hours, and comes with a 30day money back guarantee. This retired dallas county courthouse, which stands on houston street at dealey plaza, flanked by main and commerce streets, is known locally as old red. Each courthouse is represented by a description, with information about dates of construction and architects. Parker county court in weatherford, tx court information. Old red former dallas county courthouse listed in the national historic register. See more ideas about weatherford texas, walking tour and texas. Parker was the uncle of cynthia ann parker, a little girl who was stolen from her home by indians during the texas revolution. Yp the real yellow pages sm helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. The phases included an exterior restoration and interior renovations to expand and improve the old red museum of dallas county history and culture. The parker county courthouse is an historic building located at courthouse square in weatherford, texas, the seat of parker county. Plans were presented to the court in july 1849 by john r. The books listed here are books that were not published by hearthstone legacy publications. Upon completion, even though the project had come in almost 20% under budget, the citizens of the county were so outraged by the perceived extravagance that, at the next election, the county judge and the entire commissioners court were voted out of office. The restoration and rehabilitation of the 1892 dallas county courthouse embodied several phases of work over a number of years.
Historic texas courthouses michael andrews, paul hester on. The contents of the library of congress farm security administrationoffice of war information blackandwhite negatives are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse. This pink texas granite building, in renaissance revival style, closely resembles. The old dallas county courthouse was built in 1890 in the romanesque revival style on the site of the countys original log courthouse.
The style and design is similar to his other texas courthouses in hill, hood and lampasas counties. Donley county is one of the squared counties located in the panhandle. The municipal court processes fineonly class c misdemeanors including traffic, penal code and city ordinance violations. The texas courthouse revisited by june rayfield welch. Parker county, texas genealogy genealogy familysearch wiki. Beginnings in 1855, parker county was created by the texas state legislature and. Describes the records of the commissioners court, county clerk, county court, county attorney, district clerk, district attorney, justice of the peace, sheriff, tax assessorcollector, treasurer, auditor, and. Bush created the texas historic courthouse program. Foote 2000, this illustrated 244page volume focuses as much on the courthouse square as it does the courthouses.
Once the primary landmark to grace the corpus christi bayfront, the stately nueces county courthouse was a crowning architectural achievement of the early 1900s, a symbol of law and justice in a wild and woolly coastal frontier with a history of rough and tough times down through the years. It presently houses a museum of dallas county history. Architect wesley clark dodson, who designed at least six courthouses in texas, designed the second empire building. This volume is another must have for the serious texas county courthouse fanatic. Please fix the name of the page and remove all the about information as it is about the actual coryell county courthouse in gatesville, tx. This second empire style courthouse is the heart of downtown and the entire community. Would you associate this place or activity with history. The stone base was supposedly taken from the previous courthouse, which was a twostory stone edifice. The tarrant county courthouse, completed in 1895, is fashioned of pink granite from central texas and took over two years to build. Brief history weatherford, tx official website city of weatherford. Criswell family among early settlers and heroes of texas history author. Parker county clerk office in weatherford, tx court information.
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