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Bell
County Courthouse after recent restoration
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, March 2003 |
Date
- 1884
Architect - Jasper N. Preston and Sons
Style - Renaissance Revival
The 1884 Bell County
Courthouse has recently undergone a restoration that replaced the bell tower that
had been missing for many years. The same construction firm that finished off
the clock tower for Cameron's Milam
County Courthouse did this job. Modern lightweight materials now allow many
courthouses to appear the way their architects intended. |
| | Bell
County Courthouse in the 1960s (Note missing bell tower)
Postcard courtesy
rootsweb.com/
~txgenweb// postcards/Index.html |
| | Bell
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
| |
Bell
County Courthouse
Old postcard circa 1940 |
| | Another
view of the Bell County Courthouse
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/
~txgenweb//
postcards/Index.html |
| | A
pre-automobile view of the Bell County Courthouse and courthouse square
Photo
courtesy THC |
The
Naming of Belton and Bell County Both
Belton and Bell County were named after Peter (I-might-just-be-a-Colonel-but-I've-got-a-Texas-County-named-after-me)
Bell. Bell was a mere Colonel in the Civil War, but he was a Mexican War
Veteran, and before that, a San Jacinto Veteran. In his spare time he was a Texas
Ranger, a Congressional Representative and a Governor.
Belton is a little
different from other County Seats, in that it hasn't the dominant population in
the County. Belton's 14,500 are quite happy where they are and with Temple's
50,000 being where they are. |
Statue
of Peter H. Bell in front of the Bell County Courthouse in Belton.
TE photo.
More Texas
Statues |
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