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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud area residents are marking the 100th |
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anniversary of the Sherman County Courthouse with a special |
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centennial celebration on April 18, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Sherman County is located in the High Plains region |
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of the northern Panhandle on the Oklahoma border, and it extends |
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across 923 square miles of nearly level land covered in prairie |
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grasses, sagebrush, and yucca; named after Sidney Sherman, a |
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veteran of the Texas Revolution, the county was established by the |
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Texas Legislature in 1876 from lands formerly assigned to Bexar |
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County, and it was attached to Oldham County for administrative |
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purposes until 1889, when it was officially organized; and |
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WHEREAS, The town of Coldwater was designated as the county |
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seat in 1890, and later that year, a one-story stone courthouse was |
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built in the small settlement to serve the county's 34 residents; |
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the county seat was subsequently moved to Stratford, which is |
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located 80 miles north of Amarillo in the northwestern part of the |
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county; a two-story frame courthouse was erected there in 1901; |
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that structure was destroyed by a fire in 1922, and plans were soon |
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underway for the present-day facility; the Amarillo-based |
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architectural firm of Parker & Rittenberry was chosen to design the |
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new building, and under the leadership of contractor J. W. |
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Mordecai, construction was completed in 1923; and |
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WHEREAS, The three-story concrete and brick courthouse is a |
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fine example of classical revival style, featuring raised |
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basements, symmetrical facades, and ionic columns; the exterior is |
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composed of running bond brick and cast stone detailing; in 2008, |
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the building was recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as a |
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Recorded Texas Historic Landmark; the centennial celebration on |
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April 18 is taking place on the courthouse lawn, and it will include |
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speakers, flag presentations, and performances by Stratford and |
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Texhoma students; and |
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WHEREAS, Nearing the county seat of Stratford, a sign |
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proclaims, "The Home of God, Grass, and Grit," reflecting the |
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strength and determination of Sherman County's citizens, who have |
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suffered many storms and droughts over the years, including the |
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Dust Bowl of the 1930s; today, nothing remains of Coldwater, the |
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original county seat, except for a tiny cemetery; according to the |
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2020 U.S. census, the county is home to nearly 3,000 residents; |
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notable communities include Stratford as well as Texhoma, which |
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straddles the Texas-Oklahoma border; the area's soils are dark and |
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loamy, with clayey subsoils that are rich in hardened calcium |
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deposits, and the county's economy is primarily agriculturally |
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based; many of its residents grow crops and raise livestock that |
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help feed our nation and the world; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Sherman County |
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Courthouse has stood as a symbol of the resilience of the people of |
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Sherman County, and it is a pleasure to join in celebrating the |
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important role it has played in the community; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Sherman |
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County Courthouse and commend all those associated with the |
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centennial celebrations for their noteworthy efforts. |