DUANE
Duane's take
Well, the marker on the Real County Courthouse is the one doing the talking here, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now, before there was even a Real County to speak of, there was a question — and it was the kind of question that tends to make Texans ornery — and that question was: where exactly does the seat of power belong? Leakey had been the county seat of Edwards County all the way back to 1883.
Held that title for eight years. Then in 1891, the voters spoke, and just like that, they moved the seat over to Rocksprings. Leakey was left holding nothing but the memory of what it used to be.
But here's the thing about a town that's been through that kind of loss — it keeps its eye on the horizon. Fast forward to April 1913. A brand new county gets carved out of parts of Edwards, Kerr, and Bandera counties, and it gets named Real County, after a businessman and State Senator by the name of Julius Real.
And who do you suppose gets named the county seat this time around? That's right. Leakey.
Back in business. They threw up a temporary building on the square, which was fine for the moment, but controversies have a way of lingering in county seat politics, and this one lingered for several years. The question of whether Leakey was truly, permanently, undeniably the right spot just would not lie down and rest.
Then came 1917, and with it, a man named Judge D. D. Thompson.
He got himself elected, and almost immediately he started planning. Not a temporary building, not a compromise — a permanent courthouse. The kind of building that says: we are here, and we are staying.
Voters approved the bonds to finance the structure. Those bonds were picked up clear across the country, financed through Hanover National Bank of New York. Texas limestone, New York money — already this story has some range to it.
An architect named H. A. Reuter drew up the plans for what would become the 1918 courthouse.
The firm of McCreary and Schott took on the contractor work. And if you listen to the oral history — which you should always do in a county this size — a local builder known simply as Scotty Archibald made a significant contribution as well. The kind of contribution that doesn't always make the official paperwork but never gets forgotten by the people who were there.
Overseeing it all was E. F. Vanderbilt, the construction superintendent.
Now here's where the story gets its texture — literally. The workers quarried native limestone right out of Tucker Hollow, near the very site where the courthouse would stand. They laid those rusticated limestone bands in regular courses, bonded with quicklime, and what they built was Reuter's vision of a Classical Revival edifice — a fortress-like façade that looked like it had grown right up out of the Hill Country rock itself.
A stone pediment with a simple cornice, topped by a standing seam metal roof, gave the whole thing a character that was serious, unhurried, and permanent. In 1978, renovations and additions came along, transforming the original doors into large central windows with flat arches and transoms. Changes happen.
But that courthouse — that fine, limestone-clad, hard-won courthouse — retained its original flavor and its distinctive features. And it remains, to this day, the center of Real County government. Leakey waited a long time to build something that couldn't be voted away.
In 1918, they finally did it. The Texas Historical Commission agreed it was worth remembering, and placed this marker in the year 2000. Some buildings are just buildings.
And some are an answer to a question that took thirty-five years to settle.
What the marker says
Leakey was the county seat of Edwards County from 1883 to 1891 when a vote moved the seat to Rocksprings. Real County, named for businessman and State Senator Julius Real, was organized from parts of Edwards, Kerr and Bandera counties in April 1913. Leakey was named the county seat and a temporary building was erected on the square. Controversy over the site of the county seat continued for several years, so Judge D. D. Thompson began planning for a permanent courthouse upon his election in 1917. Voters approved bonds to finance a permanent structure. The bonds were financed through Hanover National Bank of New York. Architect H. A. Reuter designed the 1918 courthouse, and the firm of McCreary and Schott served as contractors. According to oral history, a local builder known as "Scotty" Archibald made a significant contribution, as well. E. F. Vanderbilt was construction superintendent. Using native limestone quarried from Tucker Hollow near the site, workers erected Reuter's vision of a Classical Revival edifice with a fortress-like façade. The rusticated limestone bands were laid in regular courses with quicklime bonding to create the building's texture and solid feel. A stone pediment with simple cornice topped by a standing seam metal roof contributes to the building's character. Renovations and additions made in 1978 transformed the original doors into large central windows with flat arch and transoms. The fine structure retains its original flavor and distinctive features and remains the center of Real County government. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000