Whenever you travel there is always a time to head home. The #1 item on My Bucket List is to photograph all 254 of our State's County Courthouses. I think I have 18 of them photographed so far and of the five counties I've lived in I only have two photographed. On the way Larry learned why I'm so thrilled to visit these courthouses. Something always excites me about each one. As a child I remember the pictures of the beautiful Hill County Courthouse from pictures. Sometime around 2000 I discovered Texas Courthouses website. I was amazed to learn there were beautiful courthouses all across the state. The history of each county and the courthouse(s) the counties have intrigues me. I thought I would share one photo of each of the five courthouses we visited on our way home from Kings High Ranch. You'll have to wait to see all the photos once I scrap them. May take awhile to get to them.
This is Motley County Courthouse located in Matador, Texas. Motley county is known as the home of the Historical Matador Ranch and Moore Maker. Want top quality hand made pocket or hunting knives then check out the Moore Maker Website! Then of course if your ever curious if Plammers are still made, then Moore Maker is the place to get a pair!
Our next stop!
Paducah, Texas is the county seat of Cottle County. This was my favorite courthouse of the day! Built in the 30's the people of Cottle County truly believed in our justice system by the short quotes over all four entrances to the courthouse. This quote, shortened from the original is my favorite. I was also impressed by the counties devotion to those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting our country in honoring those on Memorial Day Weekend with a cross on the front lawn for each military person lost. This cross brought my attention and emotion forward.
On to Guthrie, TX
Sneeze and you'll miss Guthrie with a population of only 160 people. Guthrie is the county seat of King County and interestingly is an unincorporated community. Very quickly one realizes Guthrie is the Historical 6666 Ranch. The town is dominated on the main drag with the headquarters of the ranch. One of the few counties where new meets old in Courthouses. This is my favorite photo showing the old courthouse sitting next to the new and monuments in front of the new Courthouse. The old courthouse now serves as the King County Library. I was also impressed the county truly worries about their old courthouse. It's terribly dry out in West Texas since October 2010. Watering the grass will keep a green space around the two courthouses to help protect them in event of a wildfire.
From King County we traveled to Stonewall County
County Seat is Aspermont. Like so many counties with newer courthouses they have kept the cornerstone of the old courthouse. Instead of showing it to you, you'll just have to wait until I scrap the photos. From this photo you can see just how dry West Texas is. Grass should not be brown on Memorial Day Weekend.
I usually take pictures of surrounding structures of the courthouses. To be in rural towns one quickly realizes the economic decay in these towns. I did take pictures around the courthouse but it was this house a little further down the road that broke my heart. Obviously once one of the most beautiful houses in town it is most likely in a state of not being able to be saved.
In Anson county seat of Jones County we found this jewel!
We were getting close to Abilene so the traffic had become somewhat heavy. The courthouse stands in the middle of a traffic circle and I was not in the mood to try to get on the grounds of the courthouse. I decided I would settle on this day for just a photo of the back of the courthouse and return another time when it's not Memorial Day Weekend. By the way I love this photo because it's a rare photo for me to get Larry in it even if it's in the rear view mirror of our pickup!
I hope you enjoyed my journey photographing some of the beautiful treasures of our state, The County Courthouses!
No comments:
Post a Comment