The Hood County courthouse clock has something in common with Big Ben. Both clock towers shelter Seth Thomas, hand-wound clocks, the only two still operating in the world.

High in the courthouse tower, a massive apparatus of gears, pendulum, drive shaft and weights reminds our generation of the days before digital clocks and electricity. The beautiful Courthouse Clock came to Hood County in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It faithfully ticks the years, the hours and the moments from generation to generation.

The Hood County courthouse clock has something in common with Big Ben. Both clock towers shelter Seth Thomas, hand-wound clocks, the only two still operating in the world.

With an accuracy of up to five minutes, the Hood County clock utilizes its original bronze gears (a rare feature). Residing up in the tower of the three story courthouse, the clock chimes on the hour every day and must be hand wound once a week. Purchased back in 1891 and paid for in $700 installments, the clock received repairs before, in 1970 when it received attention from a J. Juniker. Likely this is John Juniker of Juniker Jewelry, a family business that started as a watch repair company. Then the Granbury timepiece was restored at the Museum of Clocks & Watches in Lockhart by a team under Gene Galbraith, the museum’s central figure. Recently the clock underwent restoration at the Southwest Museum of Clocks & Watches.

Hood County’s Courthouse’s 1891 Second Empire-style stands as the cornerstone for the historic Granbury Town square. It’s the fifth Hood County court-house and built of native limestone. W.C. Dodson of Waco designed the present courthouse and the total price for construction was $40,000. The frame, clad sheet metal courthouse clock tower houses the Seth Thomas town clock.

A small one-man log cabin housed the first Hood County court. In 1875 a rock courthouse took its place however an arson suspected fire burned it to the ground, destroying all of the county’s land records and deeds.

As the restoration of the courthouse comes to a close, plan a trip to view the majestic building and ask about the clock tower tour. As the tower clock returns to its duty of informing locals and visitors of the time, think about Big Ben and the Granbury clock in time to chime.

For most of the world, the definition of health “care” has become interchangeable with drug interventions. I put the word “care” in quotations to indicate this is modern medicine’s definition, not mine.

The current paradigm now means not only lowering acceptable parameters for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes, but creating new diseases to be treated. The result: there are more people than ever on drugs for preventable chronic conditions.

Most chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity are largely preventable with simple lifestyle changes. Yet each year 7 out of 10 deaths are due to these chronic diseases. How can that be?

The answer lies in how we approach health care. It is much easier at times to take a pill, rather than to be accountable for your diet, nutrition and exercise program. The best way to avoid the pitfalls of modern medicine, especially dangerous drugs, is to modify your lifestyle.

One of the most important strategies is to achieve normalizing your insulin levels. This is an absolute must if you want to avoid getting diabetes. Modify your diet to avoid excessive amounts of fructose, grains and other pro-inflammatory ingredients like trans-fats. Exercise regularly.

These additional ideas can help you stay healthy:

• Get most of your antioxidants from food – Good sources include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, beans and artichokes.

• Optimize your Vitamin D levels to between 50-70 mg/ml.

• Animal-based Omega 3 Fats – Increase your intake of animal based omega 3 fats, such as krill oil, while decreasing your intake of damaged omega 6’s like trans- fats.

• Avoid as many chemicals, toxins, and pollutants as you can – This may mean replacing your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, pesticides, and insecticides with nontoxic alternatives.

• Use caution when it comes to prescription drugs – If you live a healthy lifestyle, take care of yourself and exercise, you most likely will never need prescription drugs.

• Learn how to cope with stress – Stress has a direct effect on inflammation, which in turn is one of the main factors of many chronic diseases that are becoming prevalent today. Meditation, prayer, and physical activity are all good options to reduce your stress level.

There are alternative therapies to the current health model like: acupuncture, TurboSonic vibration exercise, Cold Laser Therapy, QNRT Therapy, detox programs and nutritional counseling.

One new service offers blood work review to help assess your nutritional needs. The blood work will pinpoint potential imbalances that will allow you to correct the imbalance with nutrition, diet and exercise. If you can keep your blood values within the normal range, you can minimize your need for drugs.

Remember it’s never too late to take control of your health, and when you do go to a doctor, ask questions. You should never think that you are not supposed to or can’t ask questions of the person with whom you have entrusted your health.

Editor’s note: A special thank you to Dr. Timothy Dolan of Dolan Chiropractic and Wellness for his help in this article. 

After a year of fighting health issues for my husband and myself, I’ve declared more than a New Year’s resolution – I’m on a mission to manage my health. Most people I know feel the same way. Dr. Oz, of television fame, recently said the medical field had to find a new way to treat chronic pain. So I began my investigation. I’m no longer trying to find something to cover my pain; I want to heal it. I no longer want to be skinny; I want to be healthy. 

Hood and Somervell County have many doctors who care about you; however, you must take control of your own health. Begin your personal search. Take control.

The setting sun filtering through the windows of that room shines on a magnificent, huge, and unbelievably heavy safe. The original paintings on the exterior and interior of the safe have been beautifully restored as part of the recent Courthouse restoration project. The story of that safe and its transport across the country to Hood County will be part of the history saved and savored in the Hood County Historical Commission (HCHC) museum room, in the southwest corner of the historic Hood County Courthouse. Open to the public, the HCHC museum room takes visitors back into history. If you peek over the top of the Judge’s roll top desk, you can almost see that stern look judges back then wore like a badge of honor. Glance sideways and you see one of the oldest family names in the county, George Barnard, marking the metal roller shelves.

The original, wooden courtroom railing and the Barristers’ bookcases shelve Hood County School records prior to the courthouse construction. These just might tell the truth about Grandma and Grandpa, who may have altered their stories of excellent grades and perfect deportment. There you can also find those small details that prove the only two things the old folks say are unavoidable–death and taxes!

Time almost stands still as you see the lovingly preserved Seth Thomas wall clock believed to be from the 1890s. That 18 inch by 15 inch piece not only tells time, but the calendar date as well. The spittoons, visible beneath the wooden counter in the Treasurer’s office photo, aren’t used today; however in the past, they sat on the restored wood floors. The same corrugated metal ceiling and wood window shutters bear witness of many stories the county officials heard from county taxpayers and perhaps those shared privately of residents who needed a bit more time to pay.

Visible reminders of times gone by, these artifacts–photos, documents and stories–wait to animate the courthouse and furniture to bring Hood County history to life.

History

Designed by W. C. Dodson of Waco, the Hood County Courthouse is classified as the Second Empire architectural style. This style was most popular between 1865 and 1880. Its name comes from architectural elements in vogue during the Second French Empire. These elements include the rectangular tower and the design of the roof.

The roof underwent a number of modifications over the years. In April of 1894 leakage prompted the County Commissioners to have the original zinc roof soldered and painted to make it more weathertight. Later, during the 1930s, the roof was painted with black tar. As the early years of the 20th century went by more modifications were added in the forms of electricity and gas connections, as well as restrooms.

In the late 1960s a wind storm damaged the tower to the point that it was removed in sections and a massive steel structure was installed to stabilize it.

Partnering with the Texas Historical Commission, Hood County undertook an exterior restoration of the courthouse in 1998. It was during this phase of restoration that the original appearance of the roof was replicated using lead coated copper and zinc with 20 gauge stainless steel intermediate structural framing. In 2008, Hood County again partnered with the Texas Historical Commission to begin restoration of the courthouse interior.

Makeover

The journey for the Hood County Courthouse began with removal of the external heat/air conditioning units. This enormous project created 120 geothermal wells (265 feet deep), dug in the courthouse parking lot. The courthouse is now heated and cooled using the geothermic wells.

The shrubbery around the courthouse has been removed, but the pecan trees were allowed to remain. As the handicapped lift on the west entrance was removed, the outside of the courthouse began the makeover
of its original structure. To comply with state laws, a handicapped ramp was installed on the east entrance.

Repairs made the windows weathertight and restored them to where the bottom sections open and close. The wooden shutters, original to the building, are in the process of being replaced. The “brick” tile in the first floor main hallway was removed. The hallways were originally just cement floors. The drop ceilings were removed and the corrugated tin ceilings have been restored to their original appearance.

Removal of the carpets revealed the original wooden floors. These have been cleaned and treated with tung oil. Restoration of all woodwork and trim plus all of the vault doors is complete. The safes in the Treasurer’s and Judge’s office were restored to their original appearance.

On the second floor, the steel structure that hung down into the courtroom ceiling was removed and replaced with a structure that is hidden in the walls of the building and rises above the ceiling of the courtroom. The five offices that divided the perimeter of the upstairs courtroom were removed, leaving the courtroom in its original dimensions with the ceiling restored. The paint experts discovered the stenciling and decorative painting in the courtroom, and this was restored.

The original Seth Thomas Tower Clock is working and the original McShane Bell is ringing the hour again.

The Future 

The Future of Hood County Courthouse is as beautiful as the building’s restoration.

Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4, Danny Tuggle, has already moved into his offices in the restored courthouse. His offices are located on the north side of the first floor, where the county clerk’s offices originally stood. Constable for Precinct 4, Chad Jordan, will also have offices on the first floor, northeast corner of the courthouse. The new County Judge, Darrell Cockerham, will have his offices in the southeast corner of the first floor, where the County Judge’s office has always been. The Judge should move back to the courthouse by January 2012.

The Hood County Historical Commission’s room is on the first floor in the southwest corner, where the Treasurer’s Office was originally located. A number of furnishings original to the courthouse will be arranged in this room.

The 2nd floor courtroom has been equipped to accommodate Commissioners Court sessions, and can be used by the County Court and the Justice of the Peace Court as needed. The information systems department will have a room on the third floor, but the rest of the rooms as yet are unassigned.

The original hand-wound Seth Thomas Tower Clock has been hooked up and is nearly ready to operate again, and the original McShane Bell is ready to strike the hour once more.