The Tarrant County Courthouse : A Beautiful Structure Full Of Historical Importance

Britton, Karen; Elliott, Fred, Miller, E. “Cotton Culture.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed 9 October2014. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/afc03. “Wagon Trains.” Spartacus Educational. Accessed 9 October 2014

Until the late nineteenth century, the United States was still an agrarian community. As factories sprouted to process the products obtained from agriculture and to manufacture farm equipment, there rose

Farmers came to the Great Plains is great abundance, as this was heavily encouraged by government land policies and cheap land that was readily available. One of these policies was The Homestead Act, which would provide free or inexpensive land to farmers. The ever-growing railroad industry also offered attractive deals to those wishing to move onto the plains. All of these incentives were very enticing at first for farmers, but when they arrived in their new land they were met with a few problems. This new environment was difficult and dry. The animal and plant life was strange to the farmers. Not only that, but the native inhabitants of this land were warlike. However, farmers soon adapted to their new environment by implementing a few solutions. Lack of wood was solved by sod houses and barbed wire. Windmills and dry farming techniques were used to overcome the lack of water, and new machinery was used for farming. But expensive machinery soon led to debt and this debt led to bankruptcy. Farmers were faced with the same issue as the cattleman and many had to sell out to corporate

Small villages, such as Cassopolis, had begun developing in Cass County in the 1830’s and early 1840’s but the area needed the railroad for true growth to occur. The railroad enabled raw materials for manufacturing to be shipped in, products and farm goods to be shipped in and out. Also, passenger travel to and from towns along the route. Early settlers

Howell states that “educational development at the county level is significant to Texas history for several reasons.” One reason that he states, is that “it provides a measure of how important free public education was to the citizens of Texas counties by comparing how quickly they complied with various state school laws passed late in the 1850’s”

The cattle industry started to rise after the American civil war. This was due to the increase of cows in Texas as cows weren’t fenced in. A man called Joseph McCoy soon came up with the idea of the cow town of Abilene, where Northern buyers could meet up with Southern sellers where they were on equal footing and couldn’t be attacked by Indians. Abilene was built on the Kansas Pacific Railroad. This made it easier to transport cattle bought to the cities in the East like Chicago. By 1870 300,000 cattle were being bought and sold in Abilene. Cows that were sold in Texas for $5 could be sold for $40 in a cow town. This helped the cattle industry rise as it meant more people would sell their cows and gain profit. This then developed even further as the railroad was moved westward which developed other cow towns such as Dodge city and Kansas because it meant there was more places where you could gain more profit for selling your cows.

I observed court operations at the Plantation Key Government Center in Tavernier, Florida twice: on October 7th and November 4th. I observed Chief Circuit Judge Carlos Garcia in courtroom A. The courthouse is located in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Florida and it’s a state trial court with general jurisdiction. The first visit was cut short, in part because it was a lighter criminal day than planned, but also I was flabbergasted by the lack of professionalism that was present in this courtroom. I’m not sure if it’s a “court in Paradise” problem, or something that is observed at other courtrooms, however, I’m disappointed in what I saw. Lack of professionalism was evident during both visits from the actors and their actions in the courtroom.

Farmland got its start in 1852 after being founded by Henry D. Huffman and William Macy as a station on the Bellfontaine Railroad. On July 28th 1852 the two gentlemen platted Farmland on their farms. The town consisted of 152 lots including 6 streets, all of which are present today. Many cities that started on the railroad were thrust into a thriving economical environment. Being a station this allowed the city to quickly increase its population and annual revenue. There were many people that saw this economic opportunity and started forming farms alongside the town because it gave them quick access to the railroad. Thus their transportation costs were lower than other farmers. The agricultural business started to boom in the small town and drew more people into the town. People seized the economic opportunities that presented themselves. Sadly though the town did grow slow. But in 1870 the census found 532 people residing there. Starting from just two families the town gained over 500 residents in just 18 years. That is truly remarkable for the time that our nation was in.

The recent study of these Northern counties, John R. Lundberg’s article, disputes the prominent narrative for why the North Texas counties voted against secession during the secession referendum. Most historians, for example, Buenger, cite the reasons for voting for or against secession stems from the growing Indian raids on the exposed frontier. Also, Houston’s failure to protect the settlers from those

One example of these courts is the Commissioner's Court. The commissioner's court is defined as, "the legislative body that governs a Texas county." (The State of Texas, Government, Politics, and Policy, page 178) Despite the name, the commissioner's court is not a court system. It is actually a legislative body. Another important part of the judiciary branch of Texas government is the Sheriff. The county sheriff, in many cities, is the head of the police department and controls the county jail. This position is very important for these reasons and more. More examples include the district and county attorney, the county tax assessor/collector, the county and district clerk, the county treasurer, and the county

Gradually, the oil glut began to affect ordinary Texans. Soon after Spindletop, the availability of an ocean of cheap oil encouraged its use as fuel for transportation and manufacturing. After railroads converted from coal to oil, steamships followed, led by those operating in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. As automobiles became more common, roads began to be paved across the state. Mechanization of farm work increased quickly, enabling farmers to produce more food with fewer people. Manufacturing plants developed in the formerly agricultural state, using cheap oil as fuel. Texas' population scales, heavily weighted toward the rural before Spindletop, started to balance, and by 1940, the population was almost even: 55 percent rural and 45 percent urban. World War II tipped the scales, however, when wartime jobs at manufacturing plants in the cities lured large numbers of people from farms and small towns. Most never returned. This displacement of farming families was exacerbated by the absorption of many family farms into large corporate operations. Increasing numbers of migrants from other states and foreign countries also settled principally in urban centers. By 1980, the state was four-fifths urban. The political economy of resource-rich states faces an inherent tension between the role of the state and the private sector over control of

At the County level, three types of courts exist, the first of them being Constitutional County Courts. The state constitution creates one Constitutional County Court in each of the 254 Texas Counties. Constitutional County Courts have concurrent jurisdiction with Justice of Peace Courts and State District Courts in small civil matters. Constitutional County Courts

With the economic system, the south had a very hard time producing their main source “cotton and tobacco”. “Cotton became commercially significant in the 1790’s after the invention of a new cotton gin by Eli Whitney. (PG 314)” Let

The Coffee County Courthouse portrays life in the United States between 1855 and 1990 by showcasing how the judiciary system shaped America both positively and negatively. In a report on Coffee County, Georgia history mentioned that wherever a community of people arises there is always a need for a form of law and order, which was with the first settlers of Coffee County. Coffee County was created by an act of the General Assembly on February 9th, 1854, which provided for the election of county officials in 1855 – 5 justices of the inferior court. The act also gave the right to purchase land, levy a special tax, and contract for building a courthouse. Unfortunately, the courthouse fell victim to two fires before the building that is still in

As the economy began to boom, a change in the way society lived had also changed. Instead of living in large cities, citizens began moving outward in the urban areas further away. Although most of the urbanization movement can be contributed to the raise in population, there were also many other changes that were occurring. Stagecoaches began having more frequent routes to all of the major cities and also most of the smaller outlying cities.