January 23, 2020

Texas has 254 counties. Texas state is so vast that the founders wanted the people to be close to their local governments. By making the counties small, the people could travel back by and forth in a day by horseback or wagon to take care of their business at the local courthouse.

Our stay along the Colorado River (the Texas Colorado River) gave us a chance to visit a couple of these courthouses at Columbus, in Colorado County and at La Grange, in Fayette County.

Columbus, Texas Courthouse

As we walked around the grounds of the Columbus courthouse, we noticed the beautiful stonework of the building. The different colors are different kinds of stone. Although we didn’t go inside the building, there is a Tiffany-style skylight in the dome. Historical accounts say that the original court business was held under an oak tree by Judge Robert M. Williamson (“Three Legged Willie”), before the courthouse was built.

There are other historical buildings close to the courthouse that we visited briefly. On the corner of the courthouse lawn, there is a water tower. It’s now a museum. The old Opera House is still in use today as a performing arts theater. A block or so away is one of the few remaining original carriage steps that people would step on as they got out of their carriages. There’s also an old log cabin that is furnished with period style furnishings within a block or so of the courthouse.

Water Tower

Old Theater

Carriage Step

Log House

A few miles away in Fayette County, we visited La Grange Courthouse. Fayette County was named for Marquis de la Fayette, a Revolutionary War hero. As in most towns, the oldest and most interesting buildings surround the courthouse square. We decided against visiting the Texas Quilt Museum because of our limited time. Perhaps we will save it for another time.

We did, however, take a look inside of the courthouse. What a surprise! Inside was a beautiful sunken garden atrium complete with a large fountain and tropical plants. The current courthouse was built in 1891 in a Romanesque Revival style using four types of Texas stone on the exterior—Belton white limestone, Muldoon blue sandstone, Pecos red sandstone and Burnet granite. Around the hallways of the inside was a small museum of its history including pictures of past court judges.

La Grange Courthouse

Atrium in La Grange Courthouse

Our Colorado River Campground was situated right near the banks of the river. I took several walks and enjoyed the scenery especially in the evening sunsets. This Colorado River is not the same as the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and western states. This is the Texas Colorado. The name means the same—“colored red”.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Columbus, Courthouses of Texas, History of Columbus, Texas,