By mvhannigan
A book was the inspiration for Wanda Ola Richardson’s latest adventure.
“A county courthouse stands not only as the center of government, but also as the center of civic pride. Some with stately towers and arched doors or windows, some with high brick chimneys and mansard roofs, some in modern concrete and glass, the 254 courthouses of Texas provide an invitation to public life, a testament to the ideal of justice, and an introduction to period architecture,” reads Dr. Mavis P. Kelsey’s book, “The Courthouses of Texas.”
After reading the book, the 91-year-old from Cross Roads and her daughter, Roberta Davis, had an idea.
“We decided between the two of us that we were going to go see those courthouses,” Wanda said.
Early this month, the pair finished the eight-year odyssey to see every courthouse in the state.
The set up, with Wanda as the navigator and Roberta the driver, was very familiar. The two women have visited all 48 contiguous states together.
“That was the problem, we ran out of states. We had to find somewhere else to go,” Wanda said.
In fact, she has been to 11 countries — several courtesy Uncle Sam and the U.S. Army — and at least seven islands as well.
“When they put in a bridge, I will go to Hawaii,” she said.
Roberta, who was part of many of those trips, spent several years living in Scotland and exploring Europe.
These are two ladies with some serious miles on their visas.
Using “The Courthouses of Texas” as their inspiration and with Wanda keeping records in a small notebook, they started their latest travels on April 29, 2005 in Fairfield with the Freestone County Courthouse.
They finished March 1, 2013 in the Terrell County Courthouse.
The rules were simple. Both mother and daughter had to be there and a photo had to be taken.
One small problem cropped up when they realized some of the photos in the book were more than 20 years old.
“The courthouse picture, we’d be looking for it but the trees (in the book photo) would be little,” Roberta said.
There was also the Texas weather to deal with.
“Sometimes in our travels we’d run across tornadoes coming through the town,” Roberta said.
“Three times they happened the night before and we’d see the courthouse then next day,” Wanda said.
It look like they wouldn’t finish in 2008 when Wanda experienced an irregular heartbeat, but she was soon back on the trail.
In all those years, they never had an accident. Wanda knows the reason why.
“I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was 16, after my daddy’s death,” she said. “I wouldn’t think of making a move without Him. Always when we are making these trips, we’d say thank you at every meal and pray that he would continue to take care of us.”
She says God has also taken care of her with her family and her three children who dote on her: Roberta, Lila Berry, and W.C. Richardson Jr.
“Nobody was blessed with family like I am,” she said. “I am well taken care of.”
But “taken care of” doesn’t mean “wants to slow down.” Wanda is still planning.
“(Roberta) said she wasn’t going anymore, but I’m going to think of something,” she said.
