1897 Eastland Co. Courthouse Cornerstone -- Eastland TX
N 32° 24.080 W 098° 49.106
14S E 517074 N 3584936
The dark and quiet home of Old Rip from 1897-1928 is preserved at the north entrance to the current Eastland County Courthouse in downtown.
Waymark Code: WMMFC9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/12/2014
Views: 1
The cornerstone for the 1897 courthouse was preserved and is on display at the site of the current Eastland County Courthouse, the same courthouse that replaced the 1897 courthouse in 1928. According to local folklore, this cornerstone held a Texas Horned Toad inside for 30 years, who emerged from it alive and none the worse for wear in 1928. The toad was very famous throughout the US as "Old Rip."
From the Handbook of Texas Online: (
visit link)
"The story of "Old Rip" helped to draw attention to the county during the 1920s. Old Rip was a horned lizard, placed in the cornerstone of the old Eastland County courthouse in 1897, that supposedly emerged alive when the block was reopened in 1928. The toad became something of a national sensation, toured many U.S. cities, and received a formal audience with President Calvin Coolidge; he eventually returned home and died of pneumonia. Old Rip is now on display in a glass and marble case at the Eastland County Courthouse."
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