As many of you know I'm trying to take a picture of all the county courthouses in Arkansas. Recently we had a free day and Mr. H suggested that we make a courthouse run. I'm always ready for a little traveling. Our destinations were Prescott, Hope, and Nashville. The courthouses weren't as impressive as some I've photographed. I like the ones that are ornate with the tall clock towers, but they can't all be built like that!
I know it's going to be a good day when the first wrong turn we made in Prescott lead us to a beautiful mural, painted by Jorge and Maria Villegas, that told the history of the town. The train front and center is pretty much the way it is. The tracks run right beside the main street and we constantly heard trains.
Downtown was in pretty bad shape, but there's still an old fashioned barbershop.
The detail work in these old buildings fascinate me. It's beautiful the way the bricks were placed to create unique designs like the herringbone below. It's also nice when the names and dates are worked into the design; makes research so much easier. This building was built about 1908 and housed the Bemis Department store.
The Hamby Building was built in 1905 to house the law office of Col. C. C. Hamby.
The largest building in downtown was built about 1905. The Prescott Hardware Company building is enormous, a full city block deep.
Of all the buildings it was in the worst shape and has been condemned by the city for demolition.
Which is such a shame. On the sides and back of the building are fourteen ghost signs. This back section was used to store the large items for sale like buggies, harnesses, wagons, vehicles, and agricultural implements.
Here's the statistics of the day:
seven hours to drive
250+ miles through
seven counties to
find three courthouses
bonus:
20 ghost signs
Such a fun day!
Cathy, I'm so glad you are recording these historic old sites before they vanish. That old hardware building is amazing. It looks like it's been abandoned for a very long time. I love the image of the crumbling brick wall; it's so interesting to see how it was constructed. The colors and textures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I do love ghost signs, and the ones you've captured here are just amazing.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am intrigued by the details of old building - the care taken to create something beautiful and to capture the history within the architecture itself. It sounds like you and Mr. H had a wonderful day continuing your courthouse hunt. It is wonderful to have a personal project like this.
ReplyDeleteQuite an ambitious project to photograph the courthouse. Loved the various buildings and that awesome mural.
ReplyDelete