Texas Historical
Resources
Texas Historical Commission Website The Texas
Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency for historic preservation. THC
staff consults with citizens and organizations to preserve Texas'
architectural, archeological and cultural landmarks. The agency is recognized
nationally for its preservation programs.
Texas Historical Commission Courthouse Preservation
Program At least 30 courthouses have been rededicated following
renovations or complete restorations funded in large part by the State of Texas
through the THC. Many more restorations are ongoing with applications being
considered for many more.
Texas Heritage Trails - by the Texas
Historical Commission A series of 10 Heritage trails in throughout
the State of Texas. Each themed trail has its own web site and feature sites
and itineraries of historical interest . The Texas Heritage Trails Program
(THTP) is based around 10 scenic driving trails created in 1968 by Gov. John
Connally and the Texas Highway Department.
Texas Historical Commission Historic Sites by County
Search This is a great resource for information on historic sites
on a county by county basis. Historical photos of many long gone courthouses
can be found within the individual courthouse pages.
The Handbook of Texas Online The Handbook of
Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography,
and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General
Libraries at UT Austin.
T E X A S G E N E A L O G Y - The TXGenWeb
Project Many vintage photographs of Texas people, places and things
from as early as the 1850's can be found in many of the individual county pages
within the TXGenWeb Project. Even if you don't have Texas "roots", the
histories can be very interesting.
The TXGenWeb Project - Vintage
Courthouse Postcard pages Hundreds of vintage postcards of Texas
courthouses, cities and points of interest can be found in this most enjoyable
section of the TXGenWeb website.
Links to Other Texas Courthouse Photo
Websites
TexasCourthouses.com Brett
Cameron & Ted Lerich's site is perhaps the most complete collection of all
254 Texas county courthouses on the web at this time. Includes a good mix of
photos of retired courthouses and links to the TSHA's county
histories.
Courthouse of Texas in 3D
3Dphoto.net's collection of about 20 courthouses shot in 3D.
Texas Escapes.com Some of the
photography is their own, with lots more from others
however this is a
very informative site with a lot of historical photos including the 1940's
TxDOT collection. Also included are some very informative "in depth" articles
on some of the courthouses.
.
Books &
Publications We have found that Amazon.com and Ebay are the best
resources for many of these titles.
The Courthouses of Texas - A
Guide by Mavis P. Kelsey, Sr., and Donald H. Dyal Texas A&M
University Press - 1992 - Second Printing 2000 - Updated 2007 This book is
a guide that includes a photo, addresses, short descriptions and notes about
all of the 254 county courthouses of Texas. This is the first resource to buy
if you want to go "courthouseing".
The People's Architecture -
Texas Courthouses, Jails, and Municipal Buildings by Willard B.
Robinson ©1983 - Published by the Texas State Historical
Association. A tremendous resource with a heavy emphasis on historic Texas
County Courthouses. Some of the photos are of buildings no longer in existence.
Gone from Texas: Our Lost Architectural Heritage - Willard B.
Robinson As the title suggests this volume focuses entirely on historic
buildings that no longer exist. Many courthouses are featured. The original
1981 hard cover edition is hard to find but worth looking for. As an alternate,
go for the 1998 paperback edition.
The Texas Courthouse by June
Rayfield Welch, J. Larry Nance Published in 1971 and updated for a 2nd
printing in 1981. A photo and description of each courthouse is included. This
volume is another "must have" for the serious Texas county courthouse fanatic.
The Courthouse Square in Texas by Kenneth E. Foote
©2000, This illustrated 244-page volume focuses as much on the courthouse
square as it does the courthouses. The author claims this volume to be the
first complete inventory of Texas courthouse squares. Available in hard or soft
cover... in our opinion the soft cover version is just as good.
Old
Friends: Great Texas Courthouses by Bill Morgan 12" X 19", full color,
hard-cover, coffee-table format book containing 71 marker, pencil and ink
artistic renditions of some of Texas' finest courthouses.
Texas
Justice: The Legacy of Historical Courthouses Texas Justice unveils
nearly 100 of Texas 254 county courthouses, of which 234 have the
distinction of being a Historical Courthouse; and 84 of these Historic
Courthouses have the double crown of being a National Register
Property.
Texas Almanac - ©2006 - Published by the Dallas
Morning News Very complete reference to the Texas of the 21st century.
The almanac includes individual articles with a brief history of each county
along with current demographic information and a very usable map of the county.
The Roads of Texas - Published by Mapsco of Addison, Texas
A 176-page plus cover, large format road atlas of Texas. This atlas does a
particularly fine job of listing historic sites and points of interest
throughout the counties.
Texas Atlas & Gazetteer -
DeLorme A 168-page plus cover, large format road atlas of Texas. This
atlas has better individual city maps that also list the location of the county
courthouse.
Other Useful
Links
NOAA Graphical Weather Forcasts We find the
NOAA sky cover graphical forcasts most helpful in choosing routes to avoid
those pesky overcast skys.
Home County Courthouse Photographs
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