The Courthouse
I seem to have misplaced my photos of the rock house that I was going to post. So I have decided to post these photos of the County Courthouse in Dickens.The Courthouse was built in 1891 from natural stone. I might be partial but it is one of the most unique and understated County Courthouses in Texas for it's age.
I have also added a pic of the plaque that was placed commemerating the erection of the building. What really strikes me is the number of schools in the county at the time of it's incorporation. There were 37 schools in the county at that time. Now there are only two schools. One has to remember though that at that time schools had to be located in such a way that children could walk to school and most of these schools were simple one-room affairs and one teacher would teach students of all ages.
My grandmother walked two miles to a one-room schoolhouse located about two miles from her house. My great-uncle Herman taught at the Red Mud School, which was a simple one-room school, at the age of 17. Education has certainly changed since 1891.
at 7:54 PM
4 Comments:
Siren, it takes up the whole block with the courthouse in the middle and various monuments including a wooden windmill and a dedication to a sherriff that died in the '30's during a prison break. I should add a pic of the county jail, which if I am correct, is the oldest jail in Texas still in use.
Mimi, I consider the time spent listening to my grandparents and my great aunts and uncles some of the best education that I ever could have learned.
Sadly in this part of Texas, Weeping Willows are a rarity except in places where people can water them. They do not fare well in this parched region.
It is isn't it, Ranea.
I gotta say, Fuzz, that it's courthouses like this that made me want to be a lawyer. There's something about these older buildings that make you want to be in them and take part in the process that built them.
Unfortunately, most of these buildings don't exist any more or have become mere shadows of what they used to represent....
So they have gone from 37 schools to 2 WOW thats a huge drop.
What have they donr with the old schoolhouses? sold them off as private dwellings?
I love the second pic That would look nice in B&W I like the way the light plays upon the right hand side. =)
That is so true, Curare. The old courthouses are mostly mauseleums from a time that has passed. It is a sad fact.
Most of the old schoolhouses were simple wooden affairs that have fallen in or have been torn down. At the Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University, they have restored one such building. This is an awesome place that I go to every two or three years. It has restored many old structures of the pioneering days. Also in the area, a local liquor store bought one of the old schoolhouses and it was used as their place of business for years. I always found that a bit odd.
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