The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-02
THE OLD CAPITOL.
A Citizen Of Bell County Tells
About Its Erection.

John Hendrickson, a citizen O
Bell county, writes to the Beltol
Courier giving an interesting &C
count ofthe building of our old anC
now burnt capitol. He says:
The capital remained at Austin
as it should, and in 1850 an election
was held toAlocate the seat of gov
eminent for twenty years, which
elected Austin overwhelmingly
Soon after this the legislature made
an appropriation of $125,OOO tC
build and furnish house sufficient
to accommodate the wise heads o.
Texas tor twenty years
The contract for building was lei
in the usual way, and was awarded
to Charles T.. McHehee-Nicholds
becoming a partner afterwards,
think; and in the spring of 1856:
work was commenced. The founda.
tons were laid by Martin Moore
and completed some time in April
so that work was begun on the main
walls about the first of May. Old
Mr.. Dechaums superintendent fol
the contractors James Doyle was
state architect; p. Ii. Bell, ther
governor of Texas, j. r. Ray.
mOnd, treasurer, and Jas. B. Shaw
comptroller, composed the building
committee. Work progressed
smoothly for about eight months
when McGehee died. Then there
was a hitch. The remaining part
ner did not like Dechaums. L had
been working the while as a stone
cutter, but Dechaums had entrusted
the laying out and executing most
of the work to me. Nichols and
Dechaums split, so to speak, and 1
took charge of the work, and re-
manned in charge until its COM
pletiOn.
A. ii. Cook, of Austin, did the car
penter's work. Col. L. IL. Jones, now
of this county, built the partition
walls and plastered the building.
AT the first meeting OF the legisla-
ture after the commencement of the
work, the contractors, claiming that
they had done much better weak
than was contracted for, and that the
100000 was about exhausted, ap-
piled to the legislature and obtained
an additional appropriation of $780,
900, making a total of $4,000
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES for the
building, and $4,000 for fur
nishing it. The size of the build
ing was one hundred and forty by
ninety feet; the walls, fifty-three
feet ten inches high !; to top of dome
one hundred and two feet.
This old capitol building may
seem in these days small affair for
that amount of money. But when
we take into consideration the fact
that all supplies had to be hauled
either from Houston or Port Lavaca,
a distance of about two hundred
miles, in OK wagons, the only Won
der is that it did not cost more. In
significant as the old structure was,
it filled out It's day. 1t was built for
twenty years-it lasted nearly thir-
ty, and was then burned. Don't you
suppose there are those who are glad
it neither had brains nor tongue
the honest old thing might have
told something.
The old is gone, but just back of
it, upon the same beautiful emil
is to arise the new, which Is
to outstrip the old as the glorious
sun does the pale and
silver moon. We feel proud as in
we see this beautiful
editice as it looms up, up, up, until
it meets the blending blue sky
proud that it is at Austin, the most
beautiful place in all the sunny
south for a state capitol-and
prouder still that it is to be for all
time the capitol of the great, grand
and undivided empire state of
Texas.