Blanco County Had Two County Seats — and Two Courthouses

The Texas Legislature created Blanco County on February 12, 1858. It was carved from parts of Comal, Hays, Burnet, and Gillespie counties. The county was named for the Blanco River. Spanish explorer Marqués de Aguayo had identified that river in 1721. The town of Blanco became the first county seat. A courthouse went up on the town square in 1860. A limestone replacement was built in 1885. That building is now called the Old Blanco County Courthouse.

Settlers along the Pedernales River, in the northern part of the county, felt that Blanco was too far away. They pushed to move the county seat closer to the middle of the county. After contested elections, Johnson City became the official county seat in 1891. County records moved there. The old courthouse passed into private hands for decades. It was restored in the early 1990s and now serves as a visitor center in the town of Blanco.

This history matters for practical reasons. Deeds, court records, and government offices are in Johnson City, the current seat. The town of Blanco is a separate community with its own identity and historic town square. Details on the Old Blanco County Courthouse are on file at atlas.thc.texas.gov (Atlas Number 4200001433).