The Texas State Capitol cornerstone contains three dates:
02 Mar 1836, the date of the founding of the Republic of Texas,
02 Mar 1889, the date of the dedication of this capitol building,
and
Feb 1882, the date of the commencement of construction.
The cornerstone is located at eye level on the north side of the east wing of the Capitol building.
The story of how the capitol was built is pretty interesting. After the Civil War, Texas was land-rich and cash-poor, with lousy credit. So how do you finance a grand capitol building? You horse-trade, rely on the generosity of friends, and use the cheapest labor you can find (convicts, then strike-breakers).
From the Texas State Preservation Board:
"The Architect
The Texas State Capitol was designed by architect Elijah E. Myers, architect of the Michigan and Colorado Capitols, who won a nationwide design competition for the project in 1881. Contractors were offered an interesting trade: three million acres in the Texas Panhandle in exchange for constructing the Capitol. This acreage would become the famous XIT Ranch.
Construction
Construction on the Capitol began in February 1882. Originally, the exterior was to be limestone, but the stone that was quarried streaked when exposed to air. Granite, a harder, more expensive stone, was proposed. The debate delayed construction for almost two years. Finally the decision was made to use "Sunset Red" granite donated by its owners in what is now Marble Falls, Texas. The state gave the stone to the contractor along with 1,000 convicts to quarry it. When, in 1885, the granite cutter's union objected to the use of convict labor and boycotted, the contractor responded by importing experienced stonecutters from Scotland.
The Goddess
By mid-1887, the walls were up and the dome began to take shape. In February 1888, the Goddess of Liberty statue was placed on the dome. When the Capitol was finished, it measured over 310 feet in height, had 392 rooms, 924 windows and 404 doors. It took over 1,000 people, including engineers, contractors, laborers and craftsmen, seven years to build at a cost of $3,744,600.
The Dedication
The Capitol opened to the public on San Jacinto Day, April 21, 1888. In May, week-long festivities marked the dedication and were organized to celebrate the "splendor that was befitting the glory of Texas and the grandeur of that building." Special streetcar lines were built to encampment grounds set up one mile from the city. Drill team competitions, military displays, band concerts and fireworks were among the attractions. Crowds lined Congress Avenue and filled the Capitol grounds to watch the parade and ceremonies.
Temple Houston, son of Sam Houston, accepted the building at the dedication: "This building fires the heart and excites reflections in the minds of all... the architecture of a civilization is its most enduring feature, and by this structure shall Texas transmit herself to posterity..." [end]
From the historic marker at the XIT Ranch in Dalhart, TX: (
visit link)
"HEARTLAND OF THE XIT RANCH
Great Texas ranch of international fame. Payment made in an 1882 contract for the construction of granite capitol building in Austin. As contractors, some out-of-state investors (headed by the wealthy Chicago merchants, John V. and Senator C.B. Farwell) built the largest state capitol in North America and received in payment 3,000,000-acres of land. The grant, 200 miles long and of varying widths (enclosed later by a 6,000-mile barbed wire fence), extended from near site of present Lubbock to the Oklahoma line 40 miles north of here. It included land in counties of Bailey, Castro, Cochran, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Hockley, Lamb, Oldham, and Parmer. Trail Boss Abner Blocker delivered first herd to Buffalo Springs in 1885 and scratched the "XIT" in corral dust with boot heel to design famous brand. Although its land was parceled and sold, the XIT lives in Texas memories -especially here, 32 miles south of its Buffalo Springs headquarters. Dalhart holds an annual XIT reunion with rodeo and parade featuring a horse with an empty saddle, in honor of range riders of the past. Permanent tribute to XIT cowboys is this "empty saddle" monument, designed by western artist Bobby Dycke, dedicated in 1940. (1968)" [end]
From the state historic marker at Granite Mountain, just outside of Marble Falls TX, the quarry that provided the donated granite: (
visit link)
"GRANITE MOUNTAIN
This 866-foot dome of solid pink granite, covering 180 acres, contains the largest quarry of its kind in the United States. This mountain, like all granite formations, was once melted rock similar to lava. As the molten rock cooled thousands of feet below the earth's surface, it hardened into large crystals of quartz, feldspar and several dark-colored minerals. Wherever strength, durability and beauty of finish are required, granite is a favored building stone. The mountain was part of a grant made to Texas colonist William Slaughter. The site became famous commercially when a dispute arose in the 1880s over the type of stone to be used in the Capitol in Austin. The issue was settled in 1885 when Governor John Ireland resisted demands to use non-native limestone. Following this decision, a special track was built to haul the granite to the rail line in Burnet. The stone was generously donated to the state by quarry owners G. W. Lacy, N. L. Norton, and W. H. Westfall. Today granite from the quarry here is shipped to all parts of Texas, the U.S. and foreign countries for use in monuments, shafts, jetties, and buildings. It has been used in the Galveston sea wall and in new state office buildings near the Capitol in Austin." [end]