Ellis County Courthouse - Waxahachie, TX
N 32° 23.140 W 096° 50.857
14S E 702468 N 3585223
Besides being one of the most beautiful courthouses in Texas, the Ellis County Courthouse has some tales told about the gargoyles that are seen around the building. Located at 101 West Main St, Waxahachie, TX.
Waymark Code: WMMBN1
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/27/2014
Views: 9
Roadside America has a pretty good summary of the legend of the courthouse gargoyles (see first link):
"The courthouse is an imposing edifice, nine stories tall, including the clock tower, swallowing up most of the town square. The ornate sandstone carvings are along the top of a series of granite columns that frame entrances on all sides of the building.
In 1894, stone mason Harry Herley was brought to Waxahachie to sculpt and decorate outer walls of of the new courthouse, replacing a wooden courthouse that cost $59 to build. While he carved some of the porches and arches himself, he also supervised several German-trained carvers.
Known as "The Legend of the Ellis County Courthouse," the story goes that Herley fell in love with beauty Mabel Frame, the daughter of the owner of the boarding house where Herley stayed. He carved her radiant likeness over one of the courthouse entrances. Mabel ignored Herley's affections; as time went on, he became embittered and subsequent carvings of Mabel depicted her as a twisted demon.
Visitors can follow Herley's evolving infatuation by walking around the courthouse.
Local historians, who are not so quick to embrace the Legend as fact, identify the 12 faces as traditional European figures, including the "Green Man," a child, and a demented character (not necessarily Mabel). The carvings were probably made in Dallas and shipped to Waxahachie for installation, squashing the image of Herley climbing up a ladder after each Mabel spurning and carving his frustrations into the wee hours. There are news accounts that Herley married local gal Minnie Hodges in 1896, moved to Dallas, and was probably dead by 1899.
This doesn't stop Waxahachie from promoting the Legend on postcards, a view of the courthouse with close-up insert photos of Mabel and a few of the carved faces sequenced, from Herley's darling into a heinous devil.
As if that wasn't enough scandal to peruse on the walls of the courthouse, there are other carvings of note. According to a curator in the Ellis County Museum across the street from the courthouse, there's one up there that represents a stylized vulva. "Pretty amazing for a little Baptist town in Texas.""
A Texas Historical Marker here provides some background:
Ellis County's first courthouse was made of cedar logs and built here in 1850. A second courthouse was built on this square in 1853 and a third in 1874. In 1894 Virginia native and San Antonio architect James Riely Gordon was commissioned to design the fourth Ellis County courthouse to be built at this site.
The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1895, and the courthouse completed in 1897 with each of its main entrances purposely oriented toward true North, South, East and West compass points. Faces which adorn the courthouse were sculpted by European stonemasons.
The "Richardsonian Romanesque" architectural style used by Gordon to design this building was created by Bostonian Henry Hobson Richardson in the 1870s and popularized in Texas by Gordon. For this structure Gordon deviated from previous Texas courthouses he had designed in the "Richardsonian Romanesque" style by displaying open, two-story arcaded and colonnaded porticos on the exterior of the building and placing entrances at inside angles. Red and gray granite from Central Texas and red sandstone from the Pecos River in West Texas were used to build this courthouse. Gordon's Ellis County courthouse design set a new standard for other public buildings erected in Texas.
Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Weekday Hours: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link]
Location Website: [Web Link]
Weekend Hours: Not listed
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