Friday, November 30, 2018

Kennedy Memorial Mystery in 1872 Dallas Map

Below is part of a well distributed 1872 map of Dallas that shows the Commerce St. Bridge. In the second full block east of where the Trinity was then located you find an image that seems to resemble the current Kennedy Memorial. It is on the north side of Commerce Street, just like the Kennedy Memorial location today.  This 1872 map is from http://www.glo.texas.gov/history/archives/map-store/index.cfm#item/89080

This larger view below, of the 1872 map above, shows the name Commerce St. to the East end of Commerce Street. If you look closely you can see that Market Street is actually the 2nd street, an additional block east from this strange building shell. 


The Kennedy Memorial is on Northwest corner of Market & Commerce as you can see in the image below. The Old Red Courthouse is on the location of the shell of a building from the 1872 map above. It was the unfinished new Dallas County Courthouse shell started in 1871 after the remains of the old courthouse were torn down.  After the walls were built with $40,000 Dallas County allocated, they ran out of money.  They did not get the money needed to finish this new courthouse building until the 1874 Legislature allocated the needed funds. See this Dallas Courthouse history at http://www.texasescapes.com/DallasTexas/Dallas-County-Courthouse-Dallas-Texas.htm#1872

On this page http://www.humanrightsdallasmaps.com/items/show/2 is this photo below indicating it was the 1852 Dallas County courthouse.  That is not correct.   

It cannot be correct that this is the 1852 Dallas County Courthouse.  In 1852 Dallas County had less than 1,000 population and could never have afforded a two story couthouse.  This image may be the 1873 image of the Courthouse mentioned above left without a roof and onlywalls for over 2 years until Dallas could secure money from the Texas Legislature to finish the building.  
Dallas has a fascinating history!


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