138 of 254 Johnson County Courthouse, Cleburne, Texas. County Population: 171,359
Johnson County, Texas
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"The county was marked off in 1854 from Ellis, Navarro, and Hill counties. Its population was then 700. Its name came from Middleton T. Johnson, who had served in the Mexican War, on the Texas frontier, and later in the Civil War, and also served as a legislator. The first county seat was Wardville, named for Thomas William Ward, second commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas. In 1856 Buchanan, named after the newly elected president of the United States, became the county seat. After the western portion of the county was severed in 1867 to form Hood County, Cleburne, which was named after Gen. Patrick Cleburne, was chosen county seat. In 1881 a section of Ellis County was added to Johnson County, thus completing its current boundaries."
Richard Elam, "JOHNSON COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online "The importance of Cleburne as a transportation center was enhanced by the arrival of the railroad. In 1881 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad was completed from Fort Worth through Cleburne to Temple. The most important industrial contribution to the city was made by the Santa Fe Railroad, which in 1898 and 1899 constructed central machine shops in Cleburne, helping to double the city's population in the 1890s. Richard Elam and Mildred Padon, "CELBURNE," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Johnson County and photographed the courthouse in Cleburne on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, 2012 and July 20, 2018.
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Johnson County Courthouse 1883
Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
Architect Wesley Clarke Dodson of Waco, Texas designed this Second Empire style courthouse for Johnson County. It suffered the fate of several of his courthouses - fire destroyed the building. According to the National Register narrative, the fire occurred on April 15, 1912 (coincidentally the day the Titanic sank).
The overall design is very similar to Dodson's courthouses in Hill County, Anderson County (destroyed), Hood County and Parker County. |
Image courtesy THC
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View, looking west, of Cleburne and the Johnson County courthouse from the US Highway 67 overpass on the east side of downtown
Johnson County Courthouse 1913"The Johnson County Courthouse is one of the most noteworthy early 20th-century courthouses in Texas. While the basic form and massing reflects relatively conventional Beaux Arts traditions, much of the interior and exterior detailing shows strong Sullivanesque influence. The Courthouse with its soaring tower remains the visual focal point of the city of Cleburne, and the structure has had few alterations over the last 75 years, preserving its integrity to an unusual degree.
Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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Photo, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT
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"[Following the destruction by fire of the 1883 courthouse] according to a contemporaneous newspaper account, the Johnson County Commissioners Court "immediately called for plans to be drawn for a new building. . . the court in a body visited several towns and cities and inspected their new and modern court houses so as to determine what was best for Johnson County." Likely the Commissioners visited the Cooke County Courthouse (1911) to the north in Gainesville and possibly the Harris County Courthouse (1907-10; N.R. 1981) in Houston, for they selected their designers, the celebrated Dallas firm of Lang and Witchell, for the new Johnson County Courthouse.
"While most Texas architectural firms in 1912 practiced in cautious Beaux Arts or even residual Late Victorian modes, Lang and Witchell and a limited number of other architects demonstrated an appreciation of the Prairie School. North Texas in particular had very strong cultural, economic and trans-portation links with the Midwest.
"That the Johnson County Commissioners would select a particularly progressive architectural firm is not surprising. The county seat, Cleburne, was the location of the machine shops and mechanical headquarters for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, and between 1910 and 1920 the population of the city increased by 20% to 12,820 (a figure it would not reach again until the 1950 census).
"The resulting Lang & Witchell design for the Johnson County Courthouse is remarkable. While at first glance it appears to be a twin of the firm's Cooke County Courthouse, the proportions and detailing of the Johnson County Courthouse are much finer. The strong Beaux Arts influence remains, but re-markable Sullivanesque pendants and stylized capitals are seen on the exterior of the Cleburne structure." From the National Register narrative
The courthouse was closed from 2005 through 2008 for an exterior and interior restoration.
"ARCHITEXAS provided a restoration Master Plan and full architectural services through construction administration of the historic 1912 courthouse. The scope of work for construction included restoration of corridors, stairwells, and historic courtrooms, rehabilitation of county offices and sensitive integration of handicap accessibility, contemporary systems, and modern fire protection throughout." ArchiTexas website
"While most Texas architectural firms in 1912 practiced in cautious Beaux Arts or even residual Late Victorian modes, Lang and Witchell and a limited number of other architects demonstrated an appreciation of the Prairie School. North Texas in particular had very strong cultural, economic and trans-portation links with the Midwest.
"That the Johnson County Commissioners would select a particularly progressive architectural firm is not surprising. The county seat, Cleburne, was the location of the machine shops and mechanical headquarters for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, and between 1910 and 1920 the population of the city increased by 20% to 12,820 (a figure it would not reach again until the 1950 census).
"The resulting Lang & Witchell design for the Johnson County Courthouse is remarkable. While at first glance it appears to be a twin of the firm's Cooke County Courthouse, the proportions and detailing of the Johnson County Courthouse are much finer. The strong Beaux Arts influence remains, but re-markable Sullivanesque pendants and stylized capitals are seen on the exterior of the Cleburne structure." From the National Register narrative
The courthouse was closed from 2005 through 2008 for an exterior and interior restoration.
"ARCHITEXAS provided a restoration Master Plan and full architectural services through construction administration of the historic 1912 courthouse. The scope of work for construction included restoration of corridors, stairwells, and historic courtrooms, rehabilitation of county offices and sensitive integration of handicap accessibility, contemporary systems, and modern fire protection throughout." ArchiTexas website
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The north side of the courthouse tower
The courthouse viewed from the northeast, on N. Caddo Street
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The courthouse entrance on the south facade, facing W. Chambers Street. This is the minor axis of the building
The east side of the tower, viewed from the US Highway 67 BUS overpass
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The courthouse tower seen from the alley that aligns with the front of City Hall
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The City Hall fronts on N. Robinson Street, two blocks east of the courthouse. I believe this building is the former US Post Office
South side of the former Carnegie Library
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Front of the former Carnegie Library
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The Carnegie Library, at the corner of N. Caddo and E. Wardville Streets, is now a museum. The building is undergoing a restoration designed by ArchiTexas
Looking east on E. Chambers Street
The Liberty Hotel is a block from the courthouse
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The hotel has been fully restored and updated
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The central court of the Liberty Hotel. I spent a night here and highly recommend it
The north side of Henderson Street
The BNSF rails on the east side of downtown