Public Offers Input Regarding Courthouses
More than twenty people attended a public hearing May 2 to hear plans for the restoration of the two county courthouses and to offer their memories and ideas.
Architects Gary Vandergriff and Stan Klein moderated the meeting, which focused on gathering historical perspective from those in attendance. Their group will develop a Master Plan which hopefully will meet Texas State Historical Commission criteria for funding from the Texas Courthouse Preservation Fund. They said getting information and perspective from local citizens is an integral part of that planning process.
After being asked to offer their memories of the courthouse and its activities, several people remembered a big murder trial held in the courthouse in the mid-1940’s (someone killed his wife, but was not convicted). In addition, some remembered a major robbery trial that took place in the 1940’s. Of that trial, County Judge Wilburn Bednar recalled that a local man almost caused a mis-trial by exclaiming, of the defendant, “Well, of course he’s guilty.” And the Steve Currie murder trial in 1971, which was moved on a change of venue, was recalled by many. Several also remembered that a sizable tree once had to be cut down from in front of the old jail door so that a prisoner could be jailed.
Mary Joyce Wilkerson said when she came here in 1932, deer were fenced with net wire inside the courthouse lawn. There are several pictures of the deer on the lawn being fed by various people. At the time, Wilkerson said there were no deer native here nor in Sterling County. She said Steve Currie might have brought the deer here.
Other interesting information surrounding the courthouses is surfacing. Edward Holsburg, architect of the 1909 courthouse, was from Georgia, and this is the only courthouse he built in Texas, though he built others in Georgia and Florida. The original construction drawings and elevations for the local courthouse have been found, as well as a photo that shows the building during the final stages of construction. Intact, unused pressed metal shingles from the original roofing have been found, along with pieces of the original horizontal cresting on the roof. In addition, there are existing seats and lighting fixtures salvaged from the courtroom before it was remodeled in 1970.
Klein stressed the importance of planning, so the renovated courthouses meet the county’s needs as they evolve. He said spending must be prioritized, and things done properly, so they need to be done only once. He said, as an example, enlarging the county clerk’s office is a high priority. He also explained the need, not only to preserve the original courthouse (the “old jail”), but also to find a practical use for it so it is an asset, not a liability.
The architects are urging everyone to write letters to the Glasscock County Commissioners' Court Supporting the renovation, and to mention any historical information you have relating to the courthouses. They said these letters would be important in their presentation to the Texas Historical Commission.
If state funding is obtained, it would pay for 85 percent of the “bricks and mortar” work, with the county paying 15 percent.
Last week, the Texas Historical Commission approved $42 million in funding for courthouse preservation to 19 counties in Phase 1. Glasscock County was not part of that round, but plans to be in Phase 2.
The architects will meet with the commissioners’ court May 22 at 9 a.m. The public is welcome.