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Wilde About Texas Bandera County Courthouse
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In the so-called Cowboy Capital of the world, the Bandera County Courthouse holds the area's history.
Built in 1890, the courthouse shares a striking resemblance to the Boone County Courthouse in Kentucky, also built around the same time.
"It has to be the same architect because it's just too similar,” Candy Wheeler, Bandera County Clerk, said. “The similarities are just over whelming. The stairs are exactly the same. The stairs in the judge's chamber are the same. The columns are the same."
The similarities were discovered a few years ago, but the two buildings no longer share an important feature.
"Obviously they did a better job of building this one because the clock tower in Kentucky fell down within 10 years of building it,” Wheeler said. “Ours lasted over 100 years."
But to call it a clock tower isn't exactly accurate.
"It's not really a clock tower, I call it that but it's never had a working clock in it," Wheeler said.
The tower once held bells, but those were removed due to noise complaints.
While the face of clock still proudly proclaims a time, it's only correct twice a day.
"It has a painted face on each side and it's set to 10:10 and there's no significance or reason why it was set to 10:10," Wheeler said.
When the courthouse roof was repaired, high schools students repainted the courthouse's tower.