Historic Hill County Courthouse LbNA #33921 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Aug 8, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Hillsboro |
| County: | Hill |
| State: | Texas |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | monarchtrailer  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | cancan |
| Last found: | Apr 3, 2009 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFar |
| Last edited: | Aug 8, 2007 |
Famed architect W. C. Dodson designed this historic courthouse in Hill County, which was a conglomerate of Second Empire, Classical Revival, and Italianate features. Kind of a Texas hodge-podge. Northeast snooties gave the tallest building in Hill County mixed reviews. A writer for the Saturday Evening Post called it a "monstrosity," while one at Harper's said it was "an outstanding cathedral." Townfolks were simply proud of it.
This massive three-story limestone structure has a tower in the middle that shoots up seven stories. There are also Corinthian columns and mansard roofs, and a clock inside that 70-foot tower. Even if you were miles away, you could see it.
Although the county seat of Hillsboro is close to a busy highway (I-35), it still retains that small-town charm. But back in 1853 when Hill County was created from Navarro County, Indians, bear, antelope, buffalo, wild horses, and deer made up most of the population.
Since the animals didn't threaten the settlers too much but the Indians did, a fort was built about fifteen miles west of present-day Hillsboro. Fort Graham, built in the late 1840s, helped keep the more hostile Indians at bay and served as a scouting and reporting station. Major Ripley Arnold, who founded Fort Worth back when it was just a camp, was supervisor of the fort.
Both Hill County and Hillsboro are named for Dr. George W. Hill, a pioneer Navarro County settler who served both as a congressman and as Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. He was a surgeon with a degree from Transylvania University. Not long after the county was established, the first courthouse, 12' X 12', was constructed of elm poles, clapboard, and dirt floors. It took the county five tries to build a courthouse that they could be proud of.
By 1890, Hillsboro's population had grown to 2000. There were six churches, a new courthouse, many cotton gins (cotton was definitely king), an opera house, two weekly newspapers, and the railroad shipped cotton, livestock, grain, and wool.
The courthouse underwent many changes over the next hundred years, meeting the needs of a changing community. Although it still looked pretty nice on the outside, the interior had lost much its Victorian-era charm. Then, on the night of January 1, 1993, the courthouse caught fire, and not even firefighters from more than fifteen companies could save it. The grand clock tower, the roof, and the third floor collapsed as onlookers cried. The impressive district courtroom was gone. Records dating back hundreds of years were either lost or badly damaged. An important part of Hill County history went up in smoke.
Restoration architects ArchiTexas of Dallas had little to go by in their attempt to recreate the courthouse's past glory. Since there were no blueprints, they looked at Granbury's 1890 courthouse, also designed by Dodson, and incorporated many details from this edifice. They also interviewed those who had worked in the courthouse and were able to decide what the "new" courthouse would look like.
Many millions of dollars later, the courthouse has been rebuilt to its original splendor. Help from community members, including Hill County native Willie Nelson, and funding from the Texas Courthouse Alliance made this phoenix rise from the ashes.
To the Letterbox:
The Historic Hill County Courthouse is located at the center of downtown Hillsboro, TX. When you approach the beautifully restored courthouse, park on the West side. Downton Hillsboro is a very busy place, so please use stealth when retreiving this letterbox. Walk up the concrete path towards the west entrance of the courthouse. If you look to your left before approaching the ramp/steps, you will see a large pecan tree. Walk to the pecan tree and stop. Hold your right arm out straight by your side. The letterbox you seek is located under the shrub your hand is above.
This massive three-story limestone structure has a tower in the middle that shoots up seven stories. There are also Corinthian columns and mansard roofs, and a clock inside that 70-foot tower. Even if you were miles away, you could see it.
Although the county seat of Hillsboro is close to a busy highway (I-35), it still retains that small-town charm. But back in 1853 when Hill County was created from Navarro County, Indians, bear, antelope, buffalo, wild horses, and deer made up most of the population.
Since the animals didn't threaten the settlers too much but the Indians did, a fort was built about fifteen miles west of present-day Hillsboro. Fort Graham, built in the late 1840s, helped keep the more hostile Indians at bay and served as a scouting and reporting station. Major Ripley Arnold, who founded Fort Worth back when it was just a camp, was supervisor of the fort.
Both Hill County and Hillsboro are named for Dr. George W. Hill, a pioneer Navarro County settler who served both as a congressman and as Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. He was a surgeon with a degree from Transylvania University. Not long after the county was established, the first courthouse, 12' X 12', was constructed of elm poles, clapboard, and dirt floors. It took the county five tries to build a courthouse that they could be proud of.
By 1890, Hillsboro's population had grown to 2000. There were six churches, a new courthouse, many cotton gins (cotton was definitely king), an opera house, two weekly newspapers, and the railroad shipped cotton, livestock, grain, and wool.
The courthouse underwent many changes over the next hundred years, meeting the needs of a changing community. Although it still looked pretty nice on the outside, the interior had lost much its Victorian-era charm. Then, on the night of January 1, 1993, the courthouse caught fire, and not even firefighters from more than fifteen companies could save it. The grand clock tower, the roof, and the third floor collapsed as onlookers cried. The impressive district courtroom was gone. Records dating back hundreds of years were either lost or badly damaged. An important part of Hill County history went up in smoke.
Restoration architects ArchiTexas of Dallas had little to go by in their attempt to recreate the courthouse's past glory. Since there were no blueprints, they looked at Granbury's 1890 courthouse, also designed by Dodson, and incorporated many details from this edifice. They also interviewed those who had worked in the courthouse and were able to decide what the "new" courthouse would look like.
Many millions of dollars later, the courthouse has been rebuilt to its original splendor. Help from community members, including Hill County native Willie Nelson, and funding from the Texas Courthouse Alliance made this phoenix rise from the ashes.
To the Letterbox:
The Historic Hill County Courthouse is located at the center of downtown Hillsboro, TX. When you approach the beautifully restored courthouse, park on the West side. Downton Hillsboro is a very busy place, so please use stealth when retreiving this letterbox. Walk up the concrete path towards the west entrance of the courthouse. If you look to your left before approaching the ramp/steps, you will see a large pecan tree. Walk to the pecan tree and stop. Hold your right arm out straight by your side. The letterbox you seek is located under the shrub your hand is above.