KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

KARNES CITY, TX

Old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (Poth, Texas) Historic Southern Pacific Railroad depot in Poth, Texas. — Old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (Poth, Texas) Credit: cmh2315fl

The Karnes County Historical Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1959 in Karnes City, TX. Its mission is to preserve and promote the history of Karnes County and its communities. The society operates a museum, which is housed in the historic Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital building. The museum features exhibits on the history of the county, including displays on Native American artifacts, early settlers, ranching and farming, oil and gas exploration, military history, and local businesses. The museum also has a research library with a collection of books, photographs, newspapers, and other historical documents related to the county.

The historical society hosts events throughout the year, including lectures, tours, and festivals, to promote the county's history and culture. It also sponsors educational programs for local schools and offers genealogy research services to the public. The society is run by a board of directors and relies on volunteers and donations to support its operations. Its goal is to preserve the rich heritage of Karnes County for future generations to enjoy and learn from.

KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in KARNES CITY TX. US MID #8404801111

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Mount Plains (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming).

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church location WM16FH7
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St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church Episcopal worship services were held in Kenedy as early as 1899, though the congregation of St. Matthew's was not organized as a mission until 1913, by the Rev. Alfred R. S. Garden. Designed by Frank Corby, this was the only Episcopal church in the county when completed in 1916. The Gothic Revival style structure, in a Latin cross plan, features tall, narrow, pointed-arch windows, fabricated buttresses, and a side entry bay narthex. A crenelated tower was rebuilt with a gabled roof following damage in a 1942 hurricane.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1986

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Karnes County Courthouse In 1854 Karnes County erected its first courthouse in the county seat of Helena, an important stage stop between San Antonio and Goliad. The original courthouse was destroyed in a storm about 1865 and a new stone courthouse was built in Helena in 1873.

In the 1880s the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was planning a route from San Antonio to the coast. The citizens of Helena did not donate land or raise enough cash for the railroad. At this time, W.G. Butler donated land west of Helena through what is now Karnes City. As a result, the railroad bypassed Helena as it built a line through Karnes County in 1886-87. By 1893 the railroad town of Karnes City, established here in 1891, had surpassed Helena in population and political clout. Karnes City was chosen as the new county seat on December 21, 1893.

Karnes County officials let bids for a new courthouse and jail on January 4, 1894. They received bids from prominent Texas courthouse designers, Alfred Giles and J. Riely Gordon, but awarded the courthouse contract to John Cormack, who also built courthouses in Concho, Somervell and Uvalde counties. Cormack died before finishing the structure and his business associate J.A. Austin completed the job. The courthouse was dedicated on October 25, 1894, and completed on May 29,1895. The three-story brick courthouse with rusticated stone trim featured Second Empire and Richardsonian Romanesque elements with projected mansard towers, cylindrical corner towers and a central clock tower. Alterations beginning in the 1920s resulted in two additions on the west side, removal of the original clock tower and the conical roofs of the corner turrets, stucco applied over the brick and blocking off the south entrance. Construction beginning in 2011 and completed in 2018 restored the courthouse to its original (1894) appearance.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2010
Marker is Property of the State of Texas

Karnes County Courthouse location WM16EHA
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Contact KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

telephone: 8307803210

KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 160
KARNES CITY
TX
78118

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KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Information

MID #	8404801111
Name	KARNES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Alternate Name
Classification	Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Mount Plains
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	742189232
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)	201212
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	28.88409, -97.903481
CODES	FIPS State Code: 48 FIPS County Code: 255 US Census Tract: 970200 US Census Block: 4044