Preserving Texas

I may have missed my calling along the way.  Or maybe I've found a new hobby.  But I'm starting to think that researching history might be in the cards for me after law school.

Today I went back to the courthouse in Milan County.  While I was wondering around the district courtroom, I met the nicest bailiff in the world!  He gave me a tour of the courthouse and told me about the renovation of the courthouse that took place about 10 years ago.  Even though some of the features are new, they are exact replicas of the original courtroom.  A lot of time and money has been spent to preserve the original tin ceiling, wooden walls, staircases, door hinges, and floors.  The place is beautiful on the inside.  It would be so cool to go to trial in the courtroom.  Here are pictures of the District Courtroom.  (The previous pictures I posted are of the County Courtroom.)

You can't tell from the pictures, but this courtroom is located on the 2nd floor of the building.  The back walls are solid wood--but they raise up just like a garage door!  That way, when it gets hot they can raise the wall and open all the windows to let in the breeze.  Now that the courthouse has air conditioning it's not really necessary.  But when the building was built, someone did some smart planning.

According to the bailiff, when President Bush was Governor of Texas, there was a campaign to encourage counties to renovate their courthouses.  However, there was a requirement to preserve the historical features of the buildings. You can tell that the people of Milan county were eager to participate in this program, because there are bricks with names of donors on the sidewalks outside.  Those people should be proud of their work.  If I ever write a novel, I want their courthouse and their downtown to be the setting.  There is something special about Cameron, Texas.

If you're ever in Cameron, check out the courthouse.  Then check out the county clerk's office where you will see a huge replica of the town from years ago.  It's so neat!

Since the Daughters of the Republic of Texas won't let me join their club (my relatives were from the East Coast), I'll have to find another historical society to join.  But preserving Texas culture and history seems like a worthy post law school project, right?  Who knew history could be so fun?