013 of 254 Gonzales County Courthouse, Gonzales, Texas. County Population: 19,807
The Gonzales Memorial Museum and Amphitheater, 1936
"Come and Take It"
Gonzales County, Texas
Gonzales is one of the earliest Anglo-American settlements in Texas, the first west of the Colorado River. It was established by Empresario Green DeWitt as the capital of his colony in August 1825. He named it for Rafael Gonzales, governor of Coahuila y Tejas.
"Gonzales is most famous as the "Lexington of Texas" because it was the site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In 1831, the Mexican government gave the settlers a small cannon for protection against Indian attacks. At the outbreak of settler hostilities, a contingent of Mexican soldiers was sent from San Antonio to retrieve the cannon. On 2 October 1835, Texans under the command of John H. Moore confronted them. The Texans had fashioned a flag with the words "Come and take it". The Texans successfully resisted the federal troops in what became known as the Battle of Gonzales.
"Gonzales County, named for the capital of Green DeWitt's colony, was established
in 1836 and organized in 1837 as one of the original counties in the Republic of Texas. It occupied the same area as DeWitt's colony-a territory some sixty miles long and twenty-five miles wide, with an area of 1,100 square miles. After the annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845, portions of Gonzales County were detached to form what are now the counties of Caldwell, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Jackson, Lavaca, and Victoria."
Dorcas Huff Baumgartner and Genevieve B. Vollentine, "GONZALES COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"Gonzales is most famous as the "Lexington of Texas" because it was the site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In 1831, the Mexican government gave the settlers a small cannon for protection against Indian attacks. At the outbreak of settler hostilities, a contingent of Mexican soldiers was sent from San Antonio to retrieve the cannon. On 2 October 1835, Texans under the command of John H. Moore confronted them. The Texans had fashioned a flag with the words "Come and take it". The Texans successfully resisted the federal troops in what became known as the Battle of Gonzales.
"Gonzales County, named for the capital of Green DeWitt's colony, was established
in 1836 and organized in 1837 as one of the original counties in the Republic of Texas. It occupied the same area as DeWitt's colony-a territory some sixty miles long and twenty-five miles wide, with an area of 1,100 square miles. After the annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845, portions of Gonzales County were detached to form what are now the counties of Caldwell, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Jackson, Lavaca, and Victoria."
Dorcas Huff Baumgartner and Genevieve B. Vollentine, "GONZALES COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
 Image courtesy courthousehistory.com |
 Photograph, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT |
|
I visited Gonzales County and photographed the courthouse on June 8,2009 and September 2, 2012.
Gonzales County Courthouse: 1895 Photo courtsey of THC.
The current courthouse, dating from 1895, was designed by noted Texas architect, J. Riely Gordon in the Romanesque revival style made popular by architect H.H. Richardson. The building is cruciform in plan with four semicircular entrance bays filling in the four corners of the cross. This layout places the building entrances on a diagonal axis. Compare to the Brazoria, Comal, Ellis, Lee and Wise county court-houses. The courthouse shares the square with a jail designed by Eugene T. Heiner.
|
 COME AND TAKE IT! |
Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
|
 Image courtesy courthousehistory.com |
Looking north on St. Joseph Street
The northwest corner of the courthouse, on N. St. Joseph Street
The east facade of the courthouse and a later addition, the Gonzales County Justice Building
The west facade, seen from the adjacent park
View from the southeast
|
View from the southwest
|
Looking northeast from St. Louis Street
Andrew Ponton came to Texas in December 1829 and settled in Green DeWitt's Colony, receiving a land grant near Hallettsville. He became active in area politics, and in 1834 he was named alcalde, or mayor, of the municipality of Gonzales. As the local leader, he was actively involved in what became known as the Battle of Gonzales, or the "Come and Take It" incident.
|
Longhorn weathervane above the Gonzales Fire Department building, north of the courthouse square
|
Looking west along St. Lawrence Street
The southwest entrance
View from the northwest entrance porch
|
View from the northeast entrance porch, of the County Jail
|
The northeast entrance, facing the rear of the County Jail
Massive interior load-bearing masonry piers and arches are necessary to support the weight of the building
|
|
View from the west, the site of the former Gonzales Market Square
An abandoned mansion on St. Joseph Street, a few blocks south of the courthouse
A beautiful home on St. Lawrence, north of the Gonzales Memorial
A late 19th century house at the corner of St. Lawrence and Hamilton Streets
|
Gonzales has a large collection of 19th century buildings, including many houses
|
Commercial buildings on St. Lawrence, between St. Joseph and St. James
The intersection of St. Joseph and St. George streets, north of the courthouse square
The intersection of St. George and St. Paul streets
The Lynn Theater on St. Paul Street
|
The poorly located utility poles, lines, and transformers are unfortunate
|