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TXGenWeb Robertson County Court |
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F R E D E R I C K E R
N S T R U F F I N I - D E S I G N E D |
Information contained on this page may explain the reason why the Robertson County courthouse was apparently gutted and totally rebuilt from the inside out in the 1920s.
The following picture is of the Robertson County Courthouse in Franklin as it originally looked before its massive renovation in the 1920s. The wrought iron fence enclosing the courthouse grounds had ladder-type steps that had to be navigated in order to gain access to the courthouse area. Photo from History Of Robertson County, p. 173.
The Texas State Library & Archives Commission's website at www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40060/tsl-40060.html states the following:
Williamson (Georgetown), Navarro (Corsicana), and Hays (San Marcos) County Courthouses were based on one plan, though the Navarro County Courthouse appeared more elaborate and was designed with a central clock tower instead of one over the front entrance. The Blanco (Blanco), Callahan (Baird), Concho (Paint Rock), Fort Bend (Richmond) County Courthouses designed by F. E. Ruffini are similar.""From the extant drawings and photographs, it appears F. E. Ruffini used a few basic courthouse plans, and then made each building distinctive by details such as stonework, window treatment, and roof line. The Gregg (Longview), Rusk (Henderson), Wood (Quitman) County Courthouses differ only in details. The Robertson (Franklin),
The Robertson County courthouse is the only remaining courthouse of the four structures of similar design. None of the other three structures served as courthouses for longer than 25 years. All three were condemned and razed.
Compare the Robertson County courthouse building above to the original Williamson County courthouse pictured below.
The exteriors of these two buildings were virtually identical, except for a few minor details. Source: Special Collections Division Of The University Of Texas At Arlington Libraries.
The picture below is of the front of the Robertson County Jail. The original structure did not include the two-story wooden porch that has been added to the front of the jail building in this picture. (Note: A current, front-view photograph of the Robertson County Jail is needed.)
Rear view of the Robertson County Jail. The original jail consisted of the main rectangular building with the two chimneys on its roof as well as the jail block extension seen in the foreground in the picture below. The cement and brick structure to the west of the original jail building is a later addition. The second-floor door, porch, & stairway on the left-hand side in this picture were not part of the original 1881 structure.
The Texas State Library & Archives Commission's website at www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40060/tsl-40060.html states that the same basic designs and floor plans may have been used for the Comal County Jail in New Braunfels, the Collin County Prison in McKinney, & the Robertson County Jail in Franklin. The Collin County Prison is pictured below. It now serves as the Prison Bars & Grill . Similarities between this jail and the Robertson County Jail include the stonework around the windows, the stonework at the corners of the building, and the cornice work just below the roofline.
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TEXAS COUNTY COURTHOUSES DESIGNED BY FREDERICK ERNST RUFFINI |
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| County Seat, County | Period Of Use As A Courthouse | Year Built | Year Courthouse Use Ended | Notes/Sources | |||||||||
| Franklin, Robertson County |
121 years | 1882 | present | Building still used as active courthouse. Significant
modifications were made to the interior and exterior in the 1920s.
THC Marker, THC Survey.
TSLAC website at
Architectural Drawings, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information
Services Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission
states: Robertson County Courthouse, Franklin, Texas, [1880?] [Drawings
are in pieces; only a portion of each drawing is present].
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| San Marcos, Hays County |
25 years | 1882-1883 | 1908 | Building no longer exists. After this structure lost its top story in a
fire on 2.28.1908, it was razed. Hays County Courthouses Historical Marker.
TSLAC website at
Architectural Drawings, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information
Services Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission
states: Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, Texas, [1882 on facade].
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| Corsicana, Navarro County |
24 years | 1880 | 1904 | Building no longer exists. A
shifting foundation caused the structure to be condemned in 1904. Navarro County Courthouse Historical Marker.
TSLAC website at
Oscar Ruffini Architectural Drawings, Ruffini Collection. Archives &
Information Services Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission
states: [Unidentified courthouse design based on Navarro County
Courthouse], [ca. 1888-1890]
TSLAC also states: Unidentified county courthouse floor plans #2, undated: [Compare with image of Navarro County architectural rendering in Prints and photographs series.]
TSLAC also states: [Similar to 1888-1890 design based on Navarro County courthouse, but window placement and tower detail does not match. This is a copy of drawing 1961/001-116 in F. E. Ruffini's drawings, Drawings with no project numbers, Unidentified courthouse]
TSLAC website at Photographs, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information Services Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission states: Corsicana, Texas. Navarro County Courthouse, [ca. 1880-1882] [albumen commercial card (6.5 x 8 in.); 4 x 5 copy negative]. Copy photo of architectural rendering by F. E. Ruffini for the proposed structure.
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| Georgetown, Williamson County |
30 years | 1878 | 1908 | Building no longer exists. Building
showed signs of
deterioration as early as 1903 and was condemned in 1908
due to defective foundation and walls.
Special
Collections Division Of The University Of Texas At Arlington Libraries
&
Georgetown Historic Sites. TSLAC website at
Photographs, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information Services Division,
Texas State Library & Archives Commission states: Georgetown, Texas.
Williamson County Courthouse, [ca. 1877-1879] [albumen commercial cards (6
x 7.5 in.); 4 x 5 copy negatives]. Images are copy photos of architectural
renderings by F. E. Ruffini for the proposed structure. May have also been
related to the design for the Hays County and Robertson County courthouses
in San Marcos and Franklin.
TSLAC website at Oscar Ruffini Architectural Drawings, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information Services Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission states: [Compare with image of Williamson County architectural rendering in Prints and photographs series.]
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TEXAS COUNTY JAILS & PRISONS DESIGNED BY FREDERICK
ERNST RUFFINI |
| County Seat, County | Period Of Use As A Jail/Prison | Year Built | Year Jail/Prison Use Ended | Notes/Sources | |||||
| Franklin, Robertson County |
? | 1881 | ? | Building no longer used as jail/prison. Located adjacent to
the county courthouse, the building contains office and storage areas.
THC Survey describes building as:
"Dressed limestone, three-story, Victorian,
low hipped tin roof, modifications, T-shape in plan."
TSLAC website at
Architectural Drawings, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information Services
Division, Texas State Library & Archives Commission states: "Jail
[Collin, Comal and/or Robertson county jail], [between 1878 and 1882?]:
[Penciled notations probably by Oscar Ruffini show he may have used the plan
for a courthouse design, 1890.]"
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| McKinney, Collin County |
99 years | 1880 | 1979 | Building no longer used as a jail/prison. It now serves as the Prison Bars & Grill (see History & Photos). Collin County Prison Historical Marker, text reads: "Designed by F. E. Ruffini, Architect of numerous Public Buildings in Texas in the late 19th century, this High Victorian Italianate structure served as the Collin County Prison for 99 years. Completed in 1880, it was modified in 1938 with Funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. Prominent features of the building include its bracketed Cornice and Arched Windows. It is one of the few F. E. Ruffini structures remaining in the state." THC Survey Form states: "Two-story quarry-faced ashlar limestone institutional-jail-building; modified T-shaped plan; hipped and gable roof; round arch (ground floor) and segmental arch (second floor) windows; five-bay front with slightly projecting central bay; pediment above central bay; pressed metal (tin?) cornice; cells intact. Served as the county jail for almost 100 years. Designed by F. E. Ruffini, prominent Austin architect (also designed Blanco County Courthouse, among others); iron and steel for jail provided by King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio." | |||||
| New Braunfels, Comal County |
1930(?) | Comal County built a new jail
in 1930. The old jail was torn down years ago. A Texas Commerce
Bank now sits in its former location.
Comal County Courthouse National Register Listing. TSLAC website at
Photographs, Ruffini Collection. Archives & Information Services Division,
Texas State Library & Archives Commission states: New Braunfels, Texas.
"Comal County Prison," [ca. 1878-1879] [albumen commercial card (6 x 8 in.);
4 x 5 copy negative]. Copy photo of architectural rendering by F. E. Ruffini
for the proposed jail. May have also been related to the design for the
Collin County and Robertson County jails in McKinney and Franklin. [See
Architectural drawings series for jail plans.]
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OTHER TEXAS COUNTY COURTHOUSES DESIGNED BY FREDERICK ERNST RUFFINI |
| County Seat, County | Period Of Use As A Courthouse | Year Built | Year Courthouse Use Ended | Notes/Sources |
| Blanco, Blanco County |
4 years | 1886 | 1890 | Building still in use. County seat was moved to Johnson City in 1890. Building has served as school, bank, opera house, hospital, newspaper office, union hall, & a museum. Old Blanco County Courthouse Historical Marker. |
| Baird, Callahan County |
1929(?) | Callahan County built a new courthouse in 1929. The Ruffini-designed building no longer exists. It is unclear why a new courthouse was built or what happened to the old courthouse building. | ||
| Paint Rock, Concho County |
117 years | 1886 | present | Building still used as active courthouse. The Concho County Courthouse is the only other F. E. Ruffini-designed Texas courthouse that still functions as an active courthouse. |
| Richmond, Fort Bend County |
20 years | 1888 | 1908 | Building no longer exists. Building was a two-story brick Victorian courthouse with bell tower and clock. County offices moved in 1908 to new courthouse. Courthouse Square Historical Marker. |
| Longview, Gregg County |
17 years | 1879 | 1896 | Building no longer exists. Structural problems were soon evident; by 1896 the building was condemned and demolished. Gregg County Courthouses Historical Marker. |
| Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County |
12 years | 1882 | 1894 | This courthouse was destroyed by a 2.11.1894 fire that also burned the jail and several adjacent structures. Hopkins County Courthouse National Register Listing. |
| Henderson, Rusk County |
1928(?) | Rusk County built a new courthouse in 1928. The Ruffini-designed building no longer exists. It is unclear why a new courthouse was built or what happened to the old courthouse building. | ||
| Quitman, Wood County |
1883(?) | 1925(?) | Wood County built a new courthouse in 1925. The Ruffini-designed building no longer exists. It is unclear why a new courthouse was built or what happened to the old courthouse building. |
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OTHER TEXAS COUNTY JAILS & PRISONS DESIGNED BY FREDERICK ERNST RUFFINI |
| County Seat, County | Period Of Use As A Jail/Prison | Year Built | Year Jail/Prison Use Ended | Notes/Sources |
| Burnet, Burnet County |
? | 1884 | ? | Built of hand-hewn rock. Had apartment for sheriff, who is also jailer. On second floor, the county library was founded. Burnet County Jail Historical Marker. |
| Groesbeck, Limestone County |
1880 | |||
| Ballinger, Runnels County |
1884(?) |
