070 of 254: Runnels County Courthouse, Ballinger, Texas. County Population: 10,501
Runnels County, Texas
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"Although the area was still sparsely populated, the demands of the advancing frontier were such that on February 1, 1858, the Texas legislature established twenty-three new counties. One of these was Runnels County, named in honor of Hiram G. Runnels, an ex-governor of Mississippi and a Texas state legislator. The county was carved from Bexar and Travis county lands.
"In the late 1870s and early 1880s cattlemen, mostly from the southern United States, took possession of Runnels County, establishing camps along the Colorado River and its tributaries. Runnels County was organized in February 1880; "... county commissioners established Runnels City for the county seat on Elm Creek, five miles north of the Colorado River. Runnels City served as the county seat until 1888, ... "When the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built from Brownwood in 1886, it established a new terminal town five miles south of Runnels City. The rail town was named Ballinger in honor of William Pitt Ballinger, an attorney and stockholder in the railroad. Ballinger was elected the new county seat in 1888 and was incorporated in 1892." Kathryn Pinkney, "RUNNELS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Runnels County and photographed the courthouse on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 and on May 10, 2015.
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Runnels County Courthouse 1889
Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
Houston architect Eugene T. Heiner traveled far afield to Ballinger, where he designed this Italianate courthouse in a large square, donated by the Santa Fe Railway. The building is similar to many Heiner designed across the state. It still stands, although it was drastically altered in 1941, when additions were added on the east and west, and the tower and roof were demolished. The current condition of the building is stable but unresolved.
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Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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Original conerstone from 1888-89. E. T. Heiner, architect.
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A plaque documenting the 1941 "remodeling."
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The historic cornerstone on the northeast corner of the original building. Insensitive electrical and mechanical equipment mar the facade
The front façade faces northwest, on Hutchings Avenue
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The front doors of the courthouse
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The front façade viewed from the north. The two story wing was added in 1941
Another view of the 1941 addition. There's a similar addition on the other end of the building
The view of the intersection of Hutchings and Broadway from the front of the courthouse
The two story 1941 addition on the northeast side of the courthouse
The back of the building faces southeast. When the roof and tower were removed in 1941 a simple stone cornice was added to the third floor
The view from the back of the courthouse, along Broadway
Other county buildings on Strong Avenue, south and east of the courthouse
The southwest façade of the courthouse, viewed from S. 7th Street. The Runnels County courthouse square is very large
View of the south end of a horse facing north from the square
This statue of Charles Noyes is a tribute commissioned by his parents following his death. http://madeintexasphotography.com/charles-h-noyes-statue/
A lovely park on S. 7th Street, across from the courthouse square
The Santa Fee depot, viewed from the intersection of Hutchings Avenue and S. 7th Street
Ballinger's beautiful 1911 Carnegie Library.
The Abilene & Southern Railroad depot in Ballinger, 1909. My grandfather, A.C. Brannan, was an engineer on the A&S, traveling back and forth between Abilene and Ballinger for many years. As a child I had the pleasure of riding in the locomotive with him on one occasion. A trip I'll never forget
Downtown Ballinger contains a significant number of historic buildings.
Good food on the square in Ballinger, Texas.
