82. Bellville, Austin County

Smack dab in the center of town (as courthouses usually are) this one just kind of jumped up at me. I was driving and then all of a sudden I was there. It’s strange how such a nondescript box is the center of authority here. Apparently there used to be a more classic courthouse, but it burned down.

All that was left of the old courthouse was the broken bell, cornerstone, and part of the floor. Prominently displayed, of course.

The cache was about 200 feet away on the square. Looked like a nice little curio shop if one is into that (I don’t care much for southern/Texan antiquing. I much prefer it in the East Coast) and the it was in one of the many planters out front. The hardest part was figuring out which one. The cache was signed and I started to roll again.

Of course, I had to stop to admire this fine fellow. I guess when you have a county (and a capital) named after you, you get two story busts made of you. And then I kept going until I got to…