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Loving County
Courthouse
County Seat - Mentone, Texas
Date - 1935
Architect - Evan J. Wood
Style - Modern
Material - Brick
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Loving
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
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Loving County Courthouse today
Don't forget to pick up some famous Mentone Brine.
TE photo |
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Loving
County Courthouse detail
TE photo |
The
town so nice they incorporated twice
Mentone also has the distinction of being the only county in Texas
that was incorporated twice. It seems that they got behind in their
taxes back a long time ago and Winkler County held the deeds to the
6 or 8 ranches until things were put straight.
Mentone turns down government money they would get from revenue sharing
(but they're nice about it).
©
John Troesser |
Loving County
Forum
Subject:
"Innnocents" Rare in 1950's Mentone
My parents and I moved to Mentone around 1945 and left in 1959. I
started school in Mentone in 1947 at the age of five. At that time,
the population of Mentone was around 150. My father was a pumper for
Gulf Oil and we lived about a mile from town.
One of my girlfriend's daddy was the sheriff and we spent a lot of
time playing in the courthouse. On the second floor of the courthouse
was a large room where County Commissioners met each month and where
the County Judge listened to legal cases. As kids, we decided and
acted out our roles for the day. The "Judge" sat in the big chair
behind the bench and would swear in the "accused and witnesses" (with
their hand on the bible). The "lawyer" would ask questions. After
deciding the accused's guilt (very seldom was anyone found innocent),
the judge banged the gavel and sentenced the guilty child to time
in jail. There was one small cell with 2 bunk beds. We'd all go in
there and sit and the jailer (the sheriff's wife or some other mother)
would bring in sandwiches and drinks and we'd have a picnic. Afterwards,
we could all slide down the wood bannister to the first floor and
go home.
I started 5th grade in Pecos,
TX and graduated from there in 1959 and my family moved from Mentone
to Odessa.
I have such fond memories of my life in Mentone and Pecos. I try to
drive back out to Mentone anytime I'm in the area. My husband called
it my "childhood fix. Of course, the house we lived in has been gone
for many years but I can still find the old dirt road and the remnants
and the memories. Thank you for [your magazine] and little piece of
history from my past. - Patsy Powell, January 18, 2007
Anyone wishing to share history, stories or photos of Loving County
Courthouse or Mentone, Texas, please contact
us
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