The Courthouse Square in Texas / / Robert E. Veselka; ed. by Kenneth E. Foote.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Texas Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Veselka, Robert E.,
• HerausgeberIn: Foote, Kenneth E.,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2021]; ©2000
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Clifton and Shirley Caldwell Texas Heritage Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (260 p.)

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.

Table of 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