Newton County courthouse, Newton, Texas. 1902
Day one of my Big Thicket road trip. I left New Orleans this morning about 11 AM and crossed the Sabine River on US 190 about 3 PM. The first thing I noticed upon returning to Texas was how much hotter it was in my home state than across the river in Louisiana. Seriously, my car's thermometer read 95 in Louisiana and 100 in Texas.
My first stop was Newton County, the "eastern-most" county in Texas. This Second Empire style courthouse was designed by none other than Martin & Moodie, architects of the Irion County courthouse in Sherwood (#005). The courthouse (circa 1902) burned in 2000 and I was expecting the restoration to be complete by now. Well, it almost is complete, but there are several incomplete items on the exterior, including 3 of the 4 gable ends, which were covered in building paper that had been exposed to the weather for awhile. Looking through the windows I could see the interior was finished but unoccupied.
I walked around the exterior, trying not to wilt in the intense heat. In the early 1980's an unfortunate but all too common addition had been imposed on the 1902 building. The addition houses the Newton County Sheriff's offices. I went inside and spoke with a female deputy through a thick (bullet-proof?) glass. "When will they finish the construction?" I asked. She replied "If you find out, please let us know!" Apparently the construction process has come to a halt and locals are in the dark as to why. My guess: problems with the contractor. Regardless, I'll call the Texas Historical Commission next week and try to find out what is holding up the completion. (Followup: I've been assured the project is getting back on track and will be finished very soon.)
My first stop was Newton County, the "eastern-most" county in Texas. This Second Empire style courthouse was designed by none other than Martin & Moodie, architects of the Irion County courthouse in Sherwood (#005). The courthouse (circa 1902) burned in 2000 and I was expecting the restoration to be complete by now. Well, it almost is complete, but there are several incomplete items on the exterior, including 3 of the 4 gable ends, which were covered in building paper that had been exposed to the weather for awhile. Looking through the windows I could see the interior was finished but unoccupied.
I walked around the exterior, trying not to wilt in the intense heat. In the early 1980's an unfortunate but all too common addition had been imposed on the 1902 building. The addition houses the Newton County Sheriff's offices. I went inside and spoke with a female deputy through a thick (bullet-proof?) glass. "When will they finish the construction?" I asked. She replied "If you find out, please let us know!" Apparently the construction process has come to a halt and locals are in the dark as to why. My guess: problems with the contractor. Regardless, I'll call the Texas Historical Commission next week and try to find out what is holding up the completion. (Followup: I've been assured the project is getting back on track and will be finished very soon.)
Jasper County courthouse, Jasper, Texas. 1889.
A few miles west of Newton is Jasper County. The Jasper courthouse dates from 1889 and was originally designed by architect Eugene T. Heiner, the designer of the Wharton County courthouse (#002). It was even hotter in Jasper: 103 degrees. Once again, I walked around the square, photographing the courthouse and surrounding buildings. This building has been repeatedly altered and boasts several additions. The tower was even removed in 1957 and later replaced. (The 1950's and 60's were not kind to historic buildings.) At least the original building still remains, although covered in a later coat of stucco.
I'm spending the night in Jasper at the Holiday Inn Express (shameless plug). For dinner, I went to the restaurant recommended by the hotel staff: the Cedar Tree. Well, Saturday night is the "all you can eat" seafood buffet at the Cedar Tree. It was full! I did manage to get a table, but after 15 minutes of being ignored by the staff, I left without trying the fried frozen seafood buffet. Judging from the customers surrounding me, it was "filling."
Next I tried Martin's Mexican restaurant. The service at Martin's was fast and friendly and, most importantly, they served beer. (The Cedar Tree did not.) But, in order to purchase beer one has to "join" a club. Wow! I hadn't run across this practice in years. This was common decades ago, but is still the law in Jasper. No problem: the beer was cold and I was thirsty. So, now I'm a proud member of Martin's Mexican restaurant club. (No charge for membership, by the way.) Salud!
I'm spending the night in Jasper at the Holiday Inn Express (shameless plug). For dinner, I went to the restaurant recommended by the hotel staff: the Cedar Tree. Well, Saturday night is the "all you can eat" seafood buffet at the Cedar Tree. It was full! I did manage to get a table, but after 15 minutes of being ignored by the staff, I left without trying the fried frozen seafood buffet. Judging from the customers surrounding me, it was "filling."
Next I tried Martin's Mexican restaurant. The service at Martin's was fast and friendly and, most importantly, they served beer. (The Cedar Tree did not.) But, in order to purchase beer one has to "join" a club. Wow! I hadn't run across this practice in years. This was common decades ago, but is still the law in Jasper. No problem: the beer was cold and I was thirsty. So, now I'm a proud member of Martin's Mexican restaurant club. (No charge for membership, by the way.) Salud!
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