THC awards grant for courthouse

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has awarded a grant that will allow Donley County to take steps toward preserving its historic courthouse.

The grant from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund will assist the county and the local historical commission in hiring a preservation architect to draw up a master plan for the courthouse.

According to Donley County Historical Commission Chairman Jean Stavenhagen, the master plan will outline three phases of work necessary to preserve and rehabilitate the courthouse.

“This grant is a good beginning for the work that needs to be done on the courthouse,” Stavenhagen said. “We’re very happy to receive this grant, and we will soon be working to raise the money needed to match these funds.”

County Judge Jack Hall said he was also very pleased to hear about the grant.  “We feel like we’ve made some progress now,” Hall said, “and we certainly appreciate the work that Mrs. Stavenhagen has done on this grant.”

Hall and Stavenhagen are planning to meet with Brad Patterson of the THC early next month to discuss how to implement the grant and get started on obtaining the master plan.

“Brad is very supportive our efforts and particularly supportive of our courthouse,” Hall said.

According to State Senator Tom Haywood’s office, the THC mailed over 1,600 applications to potential grant candidates and received 102 applications requesting over $3.3 million in funds.  Of those applications, only 20 projects were selected for funding for fiscal year 1999.

Rep. Warren Chisum, who supported the grant application, said that he and Sen. Haywood are both very pleased that Donley County has received this grant.

Donley County’s courthouse was built in 1890 and is one of only three courthouses in the Panhandle to be included in the Texas Courthouse Alliance.

Supporters of the local courthouse project hope to have the master plan readied before Gov. George W. Bush presents a multi-million dollar proposal for the restoration of Texas’ most historic courthouses to the next Legislature.