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The 1929 Kimble
County courthouse in Junction
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, September 2004 |
The Present
Kimble County Courthouse
- Junction, Texas
Date: 1929
Architect: Henry Phelps
Style: Moderne
Material: Brick
The county was named after Alamo defender Geo. C. Kimble. Originally
the County Seat was the short-lived (and often flooded) town of Kimbleville.
The current Kimble County Courthouse was built in 1929. There were
two others, one in 1878 and another in 1885. The first one burned,
necessitating the second. The second was burned in 1888, but was repaired.
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Historical Marker:
501 Main St., Junction, Texas
Kimble County
Courthouse
The third courthouse
to serve Kimble County,
this structure was designed by San Antonio architect Henry Truman
Phelps (1871-1944). Between 1904 and the early 1930s, Phelps designed
courthouses in more than ten Texas counties. While he based the Kimble
County courthouse on Classical plans, its features are expressive
of a new era in architectural design. By the late 1920s Phelps' designs
had evolved to reflect the influences of the Art Moderne style. This
is evidenced by the building's geometric ornament, cast stone pilasters
and stepped parapet and square pattern belt course.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000 |
Kimble County
Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
Kimble County
Texas 1936 centennial marker on the courthouse lawn
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
An earlier view
of the Kimble County Courthouse
Postcard courtesy rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
The 1878 Kimble
County courthouse
&
The 1885 Kimble County courthouse
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Cornerstone Fragment from 1885 Courthouse
TE photo |
The cornerstone
of the 1885 courthouse sits not far from the Chamber of Commerce's
office and shows that it was the design of English Architect Alfred
Giles. Giles designed courthouses in Marfa,
Falfurrias, Goliad
and Floresville.
His 1882 Courthouse in Fredericksburg
is now the Gillespie County Library. En route to Fredericksburg,
he had the misfortune of being robbed while a passenger in a stagecoach.
Giles also designed the Webb
County Courthouse in Laredo and many buildings in Mexico.
Photographer's Note:
"According to the THC Atlas at http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/shell-county.htm,
the 1878 Kimble County courthouse was a two-story frame building.
It burned on April 22, 1884.
The 1885 Kimble County courthouse was a two-story stone building
with a square floor plan. It was designed by Alfred
Giles and the contractor was J.M. Piper." - Terry
Jeanson |
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