Friday, February 10, 2012

On the Square....Small Town Style


In Texas, many county seat (place of local government) courthouses are constructed in the center of town. Typically, this was the gathering place for the community to be used for musical concerts, rallies, and for shopping. The nearest town to the farm consists of this type of set up.



This is the county's 4th courthouse to be built on The Square. The construction was completed in 1891 for a cost of $99,407. The 3-story masonry and stone structure, is built in the Romanesque Revival style with a 100 foot tall clock tower.


The outside materials are native to Texas....blue sandstone from Muldoon, red Pecos sandstone, Burnet granite, and Belton white limestone.



The details are accented by the different colors of the stone.


















A closer look at the tower clock.....



An American eagle is carved in the stone of the tower.


During the week, The Square is crowded with cars and trucks, traveling within the square that surrounds the courthouse. The one-way lane nearest the courthouse travels counter clock-wise, while the outer lane of traffic drives clockwise. At each corner is a street that leads away from the center of town.


This give you some idea of the architecture of the store fronts.






















The shops are lined up on all 4 sides of the square. You will find gift shops, a custom jewelry store, a meat market, kolache bakery, a couple of banks, several speciality restaurants, and a wonderful coffee shop serving lattes and homemade fudge.

With all the hustle and bustle of everyday life during the week, at Noon on Saturday, most stores close down for the remainder of the week end.


Remember, this a a small Texas town with a population of 5,000.


I hope you have enjoyed the mini-tour of the small town near the farmhouse.

Meggie Mac
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