The courthouses of Texas

A County Courthouse stands not only as the center of government but as the center of civic pride. Some with stately towers and arched doors or windows, some with high brick chimneys and Mansard roofs, some in modern concrete and glass, the 254 courthouses of Texas stand as an invitation to public life, a testament to the ideal of justice, and an introduction to period architecture.

It is no wonder, then, that many tourists each year visit these edifices. This full-color guide - a true collector's item for Texas history fans - will help travelers choose which ones they want to add to their trips and to view them knowledgeably. For each county a color photograph pictures the courthouse and an account sketches the sequence of the seats of government, the location and style of the current building, and tidbits of fascinating lore about county and county seat names and history.

Courthouses and the "squares" around many of them offer a bonanza for history buffs, antique collectors, genealogists, architecture enthusiasts, and photographers. Many of them house or are near local history museums, and many display historical markers that introduce the area to visitors. Especially in many smaller county seats, the courthouse square offers a genre scene of some moment in Texas' life.

For all those who travel to see courthouses, and all those who in their travels for other reasons enjoy detours into the heritage and pride of a people, this beautiful and informative book opens the way.