The courthouse square in Texas / Robert E. Veselka ; edited by Kenneth E. Foote.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Veselka, Robert E.

Contributor:

Foote, Kenneth E., 1955- editor.

Series:

Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas heritage series ; Number 2.

Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas Heritage Series ; Number 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Courthouses--Texas--History.

Courthouses.

Plazas--Texas--History.

Plazas.

City and town life--Texas--History.

City and town life.

Courthouses--Texas--Design and construction--History.

Plazas--Texas--Design and construction--History.

City planning--Texas--History.

City planning.

Human geography--Texas.

Human geography.

Texas--History, Local.

Texas.

Texas--Historical geography.

Texas--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (244 pages) : illustrations, photographs, maps, tables.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2000.

Summary:

With its dignified courthouse set among shade trees and lawns dotted with monuments to prominent citizens and fallen veterans, the courthouse square remains the civic center in a majority of the county seats of Texas. Yet the squares themselves vary in form and layout, reflecting the different town-planning traditions that settlers brought from Europe, Mexico, and the United States. In fact, one way to trace settlement patterns and ethnic dispersion in Texas is by mapping the different types of courthouse squares. This book offers the first complete inventory of Texas courthouse squares, drawn from extensive archival research and site visits to 139 of the 254 county seats. Robert Veselka classifies every existing plan by type and origin, including patterns and variants not previously identified. He also explores the social and symbolic functions of these plans as he discusses the historical and modern uses of the squares. He draws interesting new conclusions about why the courthouse square remains the hub of commercial and civic activity in the smaller county seats, when it has lost its prominence in others.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Figures

Tables

Foreword

Chapter One. The Courthouse Square in Texas

Chapter Two. From Land Policy to County Seats and Squares

Chapter Three. Anglo-American Courthouse Squares

Chapter Four. Origins of the Anglo-American Courthouse Squares

Chapter Five. Squares Derived from Spanish Precedents and Other Planning Traditions

Chapter Six. Origins of Squares Derived from Spanish Precedents and Other Planning Traditions

Chapter Seven. The Centripetal Role of the Courthouse Square

Chapter Eight. Symbolism and Social Activity at the Courthouse Square

Chapter Nine. Afterword

Appendix 1. Texas Counties

Appendix 2 Block Patterns, Features, and Roles of Texas Courthouse Squares

Appendix 3. A Note on Sources and Methods

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-76797-8

OCLC:

1286807197