Karnes County Courthouse - Karnes City, TX - Courthouses on Waymarking.com

The first wood frame courthouse was erected soon after the elections for county offices which were held on February 27, 1854. This building was erected in the city of Helena, TX. The original courthouse was destroyed in a storm about 1865 and a new stone courthouse was built in Helena in 1873
The second county courthouse that was built in Helena in 1873 was later converted into a school after the county seat moved to Karnes City.

An election was held in December 21, 1893 to determine whether Runge, Kenedy, Helena or Karnes City would be the seat of government. After a hotly contested election the records were moved from Helena to Karnes City in January 1894.

A new Courthouse and jail were built and on May 25, 1894, a prisoner was hung on the new courthouse lawn, five months before the courthouse was dedicated. The courthouse was dedicated on October 25, 1894, and completed on May 29, 1895.

In the 1920s, two buildings were added to the main structure and its original turrets and clock tower were removed during this remodeling. As it turned out these buildings weren't added correctly and as of February 2007, they were pulling the original building apart.

Here’s an excerpt from the webpage: mysanantonio.com about the remodeling:

Karnes County Clerk Alva Jonas grew tired of the dirt and dust falling from an exposed brick wall near her desk, so she had courthouse maintenance workers put up plywood to cover it. That was the easy part.
How to keep the entire courthouse from literally falling apart has proven more difficult, especially since the area's farm and ranch economy generates little cash for county officials to correct the problem.
Architects discovered two additions to the courthouse are pulling the building in two directions.
County Judge Alger Kendall Jr. knows something needs to be done, as signs of the courthouse's crumbling condition multiply with each passing month.
Recently, the floor inside the district courtroom buckled, leaving half the room slanted to one side.
Cracks can be found throughout the building's interior and exterior, and several large pieces of plaster have fallen off the walls.
Kendall said the county's only hope in salvaging the courthouse, which was built in 1894, is for the state to renew its Historic Courthouse Preservation Program and grant the county most of the estimated $6 million needed to restore it.
“If not, then we're out of the ballpark,” the judge said, “because we don't have that kind of funding, nor do we have the ability to borrow it.”
For almost two years, the state hasn't issued any grants to restore or renovate county courthouses because of questions raised over whether the projects qualify for federal transportation enhancement funds.
The federal money normally pays for such things as tourist or visitor centers, highway landscaping projects and hike and bike trails.
The Texas Historical Commission has sought a clarification from the Federal Highway Administration to allow it to use at least a portion of the $80 million in transportation enhancement funds the 79th Texas Legislature allocated to the program in 2005.
The commission singled out five courthouses last summer that had the strongest links to transportation history, including those in La Salle and Comal counties.
“We have not received any response to that,” said Debbi Head, an agency spokeswoman.
For the next biennium, the commission decided to appropriate $80 million within its own budget to continue the program, Head said. She said the agency is optimistic the current Legislature will approve its budget, with funding for courthouse preservation intact.
Annie Sauser, an associate with FisherHeck Architects of San Antonio, said Karnes County has a shot at getting some of that money. FisherHeck helped restore the Atascosa County Courthouse, which was rededicated in 2003.
Karnes County needs to submit its new restoration goals to the Texas Historical Commission before September to ensure eligibility for potential state grants, Sauser said.
To help complete the application, the firm is seeking pictures of the Karnes County Courthouse showing how it looked before its center tower and four corner peaks were removed, she said.
Sauser said restoration plans include tearing down two 1920s-era additions to the main courthouse, including portions of Jonas' county clerk office and the county commissioners' chamber.
Jones said the additions were built without any expansion joints. “If we want to stop the stress that's being applied to this building, we have to remove and destroy these two additions,” Sauser said.
Despite the courthouse's dilapidated appearance, its employees and visitors shouldn't be afraid of it falling on top of them, said Lawrence Calvetti, a structural engineer for WSC Inc. of San Antonio, which is working with the architect on restoration efforts.
“It's a perception thing,” Calvetti said.

Year Built: 1894 Current Use of Building: County Government Level of Courts: County Architect: Architect - John Cormack: Style - Romanesque Revival Dates this building was used to house judicial proceedings: 1894 - present Physical Address: 200 E. Calvert Karnes City, TX 78118 Hours: Monday - Friday Related Website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
At least one original photograph should be added to the gallery. And please describe your impressions and visit to the courthouse.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/21/2016 WalksfarTX visited it 09/13/2010 WTT-B2 visited it

View all visits/logs