The Hospital Years
Nurturing the town's young and old alike, the Old Courthouse from 1937 to 1961 served the area as a general hospital. Many local citizens were born here. The wide south corridor served as the nursery. Space for a clinic, a hospital, physicians' offices and nurses' quarters was provided at various times. Until 1970 a medical clinic was maintained in the building.
As preparation for the Old Courthouse rededication in 1998, a concerted effort was begun to locate individuals who had been "Born in the Courthouse" so that they could be specially recognized. Using birth records in the county courthouse (with the most recent 50 years by law closed at that time) and word of mouth, a small OBCCPS committee gathered 866 names and 650 addresses of "Courthouse Babies."
In the years since the rededication, the effort to complete the list has continued. Currently 1,015 individuals have been identified. This list will continue to grow as records become available with the passage of time (county birth records are now closed for seventy-five years) and as the word of mouth keeps spreading. A tribute naming these individuals is now in place in the Courthouse hall in order to recognize their important role in Blanco's history.
To see the list as currently known, click on the link : "Courthouse Babies".
Input is solicited. Please send corrections and additions to:
Old Blanco County Courthouse
P.O. Box 302
Blanco, TX 78606
or email info@historicblanco.org
Hospital staff
The Hospital in the Hills