DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker for the San Jacinto County Courthouse tells it this way, and I'm just the one passin' it along. Now, a county courthouse is more than a building. It's the center of gravity for everything around it — the deeds, the disputes, the daily business of a place.
So when fire tore through the San Jacinto County courthouse in 1915, it didn't just destroy a structure. It set off a chain of events that would literally move a town. Landowners stepped up and donated land at a new site, and just like that, the center of county government relocated to what folks were calling 'new town' Coldspring.
The county hired builders Price and Williamson to put something worthy on that donated ground, working from plans drawn up by the Houston firm of Lane and Dabney. And in 1916 and 1917, the new courthouse rose — built of brick, fired locally, from local clay. There's something fitting about that.
The very earth of San Jacinto County holding the county's government up. Now here's where it gets interesting. The merchants and citizens, they didn't wait around to see how things shook out.
They followed. One by one, businesses and families made the move to the new location. And by 1925, 'old town' Coldspring was deserted.
A whole town, just — gone quiet. Repairs in 1936 modified the courthouse's appearance somewhat, but it held on to its original character. To this day, the arched doors and windows on the east and west elevations still carry the hallmarks of its Italian Renaissance design.
A fire, some donated land, locally fired brick, and the stubbornness of a community following its courthouse down the road. That's how a town moves.
What the marker says
A fire in 1915 destroyed the San Jacinto County courthouse. Landowners donated land at this site and relocated the center of county government to "new town" Coldspring. The county hired builders Price and Williamson to construct the new courthouse based on plans by the Houston firm of Lane and Dabney. It was constructed in 1916-17 of brick fired locally from local clay. Merchants and citizens followed the courthouse to the new location, and by 1925, "old town" Coldspring was deserted. Repairs in 1936 modified its appearance somewhat, but the courthouse retains elements of its original Italian Renaissance design in its arched doors and windows on the east and west elevations. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000