069 Taylor County

069 of 254: Taylor County Courthouse, Abilene, Texas. County Population: 131,506

Taylor County, Texas

"In 1858 the Texas legislature established Taylor County, named for Alamo defenders Edward, James, and George Taylor, from lands formerly assigned to Bexar and Travis counties. Taylor County was attached to Travis and Bexar counties for judicial and administrative purposes until 1873, when these responsibilities were assigned to Eastland County. Partly due to the presence of Indians, the area remained largely unsettled.
"The earliest group of European settlers in Taylor County were buffalo hunters and bone gatherers, who arrived during the 1870s.
"As more people moved into the area, the county was organized in 1878, and Buffalo Gap, a small settlement near the center of the county, became the seat of government.
"Settlement accelerated when the Texas and Pacific Railway built through the area in the early 1880s. Buffalo Gap was bypassed by the railroad, which was routed instead to pass through the northern part of the county to the site of a new town, to be called Abilene. [after the Kansas cattle town]
"While Abilene began to develop into a shipping center, Buffalo Gap declined in population, and, after an election held in 1883, Abilene became the county seat."
John Leffler, "TAYLOR COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online

I visited the county and photographed the courthouse on July 26, 2010 and again on June 20, 2012. Taylor County is one of seven Texas counties I've lived in over the years. Abilene is home to my mother's family, the Brannan's, and was my home on several occasions in the 1950's and 60's.

The Texas & Pacific train station

Taylor County Courthouse 1883

This courthouse is attributed to architect Jasper N. Preston & Son, of Austin. Preston practiced architecture in Austin from 1875 until he and his son moved to Los Angeles in 1886. Preston's best known building in Texas is the Driskill Hotel in Austin.

Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com

The 1883 courthouse was demolished in 1914. What a loss for Taylor County.

Taylor County Courthouse 1915

Designed by Waco architect George Burnett, this classical revival style building served as the Taylor County courthouse until 1972, when the current courthouse opened. The 1915 courthouse is still used by the county for offices.