I spent today riding the area I grew up in, its amazing how much your perspective changes in 40 years. I noticed things today that I just blew by when I was 18 and tearing up these roads.
I stopped in Johnson City and snapped a pic of the courthouse. This is the second one, the first is in Blanco, but Johnson City got the county seat in a special election in 1890, only four years after the one in Blanco was built.
My second stop was in Burnet, I didn't even know it was the county seat when I was growing up and going to Inks Lake. Its not as old or ornate as some, but it does have some charm.
Third stop was Lampasas, I grew up 16 miles from here between Lampasas and Copperas Cove. I went to HS in the Cove, but we used to shop in Lampasas. There used to be a JC Penney and Winns 5 an 10 on the square.
This was Izoro. One of my friends had an aunt who lived just down the road from this Texaco. I remember buying soft drinks and candy here.
I don't remember it being a post office.
This is all that's left of Slater, well this and the cemetary. This was the school, I don't know when it was built, but it looked like this when I was a kid in the 60s.
Part of the downspouts are still there and I think it had part of a roof the last time I saw it.
The next stop was Gatesville, Coryell County seat. Gatesville was our main rival in high school and I spent a lot of time on FM116 in a school bus!
I met an elderly gentleman while I was photographing the courthouse and he was kind enough to provide a little background information and direct me to a couple of neat pieces of the past.
He told me about these owls. There is only one and its on the right side (when exiting) of the east entrance of the courthouse. He said his grandather told him the Scottish masons who built the courthouse put one there on all the courthouses they built and he thought they also built the one in Comanche county. I'll have to check that out.
These are all that's left of what used to be common in most towns in Texas.
Here's a closer look. These used to be in front of all the buildings in downtown. He said there was a strap that ran down the back of the horse and connected to the wagon harness, they would disconnect the strap from the harness and attach it to the rock.
The old jail. Prisoners flooded the jail in the 1950s by clogging up the drains and turning on the water. Wonder what they wanted besides out?
This bridge was built in 1904 and was the only way across the Leon River until the 1940s when Hwy 84 was finished. This was the main drag in Gatesville and the courthouse faces Leon street which looks odd today since Hwy 84 goes in back of the courthouse.
The next stop was Clifton. This old bridge was built in 1884 and served as the main way across the Bosque River until 1941 when TX 6 was built.
Bosque county courthouse in Meridian. I remember schools from Clifton, Meridian, Ogletree, Jonesboro, and Evant being at track meets when I was in Junior high.
The next two county seats were under repair so I didn't take any pictures in Hamilton or Goldthwaite. I just realized I've mispronounced Goldthwaite my whole life. Everyone pronounced it Goldwaithe when I was growing up. Same for Pedernales, everyone pronounced it Perdernales.
The cows were enjoying the weather.
The San Saba county courthouse. We played the Armadillos in football and basketball when I was in Junior high, but by the time I got in to HS we had outgrown them and moved up to 3A.
They still back the 'Dillos.
Finally, Llano and the courthouse.
Something you don't see much any more--a open movie theater on the square...
along with some other stuff.
I need to go through some of the other towns I remember like Topsey, Rumley and Pidcoke.