History
of Crockett County
See
also Historical Markers
Linked
from
The Crockett
County courthouse, located at 907 Avenue D, is a two-story limestone
structure designed by architect Oscar Ruffini in the popular Second
Empire Style. Built as the second courthouse in 1902, only eleven
years after Crockett County was organized, the structure dominated the
newly founded county seat of Ozona.
The courthouse is built of hand sawed native limestone laid in
large, rough-hewn, ashlar blocks. The plan is bi- laterally
symmetrical and basically square with four identical five-bay facades.
The five-part composition includes a central projecting pavilion,
framed by two recessed bays and terminating in projecting end
pavilions. While the main roof is hipped, the central pavilions form a
gabled pediment and the end pavilions are topped by a pyramidal cap.
A one-story classical gallery, slightly altered in later years,
extends between the two end pavilions on each facade. Originally, a
balustrade crowned the gallery creating a balcony, but this has been
replaced by an iron railing. In addition, the central portion of the
gallery at one time projected slight in proportion with the projecting
central pavilion. The east or rear gallery and a portion of the south
gallery have been enclosed.
The narrow, dressed stone bands located below each row of windows
define the floor distinctions. The first floor has segmental arched
windows and a double door with transom in the central pavilion. On the
second floor the central bay contains two adjacent narrow 4 over 4
light windows crowned by a fan light and round arched lintel. Round
arched windows flank each side of the central pavilions, but the west
and east facades are distinguished from the side entrances by
containing double windows in the recessed bays.
Brackets embellish the eaves of the
pediment gable and the
terminal pavilions. The corner pavilions are further distinguished by
the modillioned entablature which forms the base of the pyramidal
roof.
From the front central slope of the hipped roof rises a convex
Mansard roofed tower which rests on a rectilinear base. Originally,
l'oiel d' beaoufs were attached to each side of the truncated Mansard
roof. An iron balustrade encircles the flat deck and supports an arc
light added in 1909.
Because of the late settlement of Crockett County, the 1902 Second
Empire courthouse is one of the earliest monuments to the county's
establishment. Named in honor of the Alamo hero, Colonel David
Crockett, the county is located on the Edwards plateau of southwest
Texas and is bounded on the west by the Pecos River. The county was
originally created from a large outlying district of Bexar County in
1875 from which five counties were later created. The size was
decreased in 1885 when Crockett became a subsidiary of Val Verde
County and in 1891 the present Crockett County was officially
organized.
Although the earliest inhabitants included the Comanche, Apache,
Kiowa, Mescalera and Lipan Indian tribes, the first settlements were
the mid-nineteenth century supply depots and outposts for wagon
trains. When gold was discovered in California, the western portion of
the old Chihuahua trail, surveyed and established in 1848, became a
major route to the west. In 1850 the government established stage
stands to furnish fresh teams for the new mail runs through this area
and in 1855 Fort Lancaster was erected to insure protection for the
travelers. (See National Register Submission, Fort Lancaster, March
11, 1971). Following the Civil War Anglo-Americans began moving into
this frontier region and took up unoccupied lands, but Indian
depredations discouraged settlement until the united States government
sent troops to the frontier posts. The Texas Legislature provided
three battalions of rangers for protection of the area in September,
1966.
The 2,794 square miles of Crockett County is an area of rough stony
land and shallow soil. Combined with the semi -arid climate, the land
proved unsuitable for agriculture, but by the 1880's settlers began
buying land for cattle and sheep grazing. William Perry Hoover founded
the first cattle ranch in 1881 and today 99% of the land is used for
grazing.
The first town, Emerald, was founded in 1889 by representatives of
the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, who owned some land about
seven miles east of present day Ozona. With visions of laying railroad
tracts through the area, an immigration agent from Fort Worth was
hired to encourage settlement and a church, schoolhouse and saloon
were provided. Mr. E. M. Powell, a surveyor in West Texas also owned
Land in the county. Upon learning of the county organization he
drilled a well on his property and named the site Ozona. Anxious for
the county seat to be founded there, he offered to donate land for a
public school, public plaza, courthouse, jail, water works and
recreation park.
Crockett county was organized on July 1, 1891 and a week later they
voted to create the county seat at E. M. Powell's site. The people of
Emerald literally moved their settlement to the site of Ozona and
became the county seat's first citizens. A pioneer lawyer in Crockett
County, Charles E. Davidson, was elected the first county judge and
was instrumental in the town's development. Having grown up on an Iowa
farm, here received his education from the University of Iowa and then
received a law degree in California. He practiced law in California,
Austin, Texas, and in 1883 moved his practice to San Angelo, 85 miles
from present day Ozona. When the citizens of Crockett County began
organizing the county, Davidson, who owned cattle and some property
there, was petitioned to run for county judge. First elected in 1891,
he held the same office for 52 years and was largely responsible for
the erection of the present courthouse in 1902.
The first courthouse was wood frame structure built in 1891 by the
town carpenter Sam T. Smith. The building served the county until 1902
when the present stone courthouse and jail were built. Oscar Ruffini,
a San Angelo architect was chosen to design the stone courthouse.
Ruffini had earlier acted as the supervising architect for the first
San Angelo courthouse in 1884, and designed the original stone
courthouses of Concho, Mills, Sutton, and Sterling Counties. He had
also designed numerous schools, banks, hotels and commercial buildings
in West Texas. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ruffini followed his older
brother, F. E. Ruffini, to Austin and joined him in architecture
practice. In 1883 Oscar moved to San Angelo for health reasons and
lived there until his death in 1957.
The county official had submitted a bond issue to the citizens for
$30,000, which had been accepted in December, 1900. Mr. Ruffini's
plans were then accepted in February, 1901. Two native quarries, one
on the Meyers estate and the other on the Couch estate, provided Ozona
with the building stone. One of Judge Davidson's requirements for the
new courthouse was that it be available for social events. For a town
of 1500 people in 1902, the courthouse housed not only the courtroom
and county offices, but contained the largest space for a dance hall.
During the first decades of the Twentieth century the two-story stone
structure served as a community center for social events and weekly
dances.
The Oscar Ruffini courthouse is the finest example of Victorian
public architecture in the area. Although the county has outgrown the
facilities of the old structure, the citizens of Ozona plan to restore
the building for a museum and public library.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FILE IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER
Texas
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