The
Burnet County
Courthouse...
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A
LITTLE BACKGROUND...
The original courthouse in the county burned in April 1874. It was described as "...a frame structure of one story in height. It contained a room used as a jail, a court room and a few offices. It was located on the southwestern corner of the present court house block." Records lost in the fire included the brand records, the minutes of the county and district courts, and some probate materials. In reporting the loss, the Burnet Bulletin called the destruction a work of arson. After this fire, court was held under the large oak trees present then until a new structure could be built. Construction was started on a new limestone structure in 1874; the finished product cost a total of $13,400, and was completed in 1875. In 1935
the county commissioners court
requested a grant from the Public Works Administration for the
construction of a new courthouse. The new structure was built of
granite from Granite Mountain near Marble Falls for a grand total of
$133,500. A "Gala" celebration was held for the building's
dedication on May 28th and 29th, 1937.
--sources: Bowden, M.G., thesis, History of Burnet County, August, 1940, and Burnet County History, Vol I. |
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-Photos- Courthouse picture from the
1937 Burnet
Bulletin here.
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