The Courthouse on the Square is home to the powerful county Commissioners Court by day, its grounds an idyllic setting for family music events and picnics in the evenings.
But late at night, when children are in bed and dogs have walked their masters home, it sometimes becomes a sandstone and granite canvas for a tagger's art.
Again and again, those who care for the courthouse find graffiti marked or scratched on its facade. This tagging is sometimes obscene and, police say, likely a direct result of the music scene migration from the Fry Street area to downtown.
"Most of the graffiti we've seen has been related to a now-defunct Denton punk band that still apparently has followers in a goth group," said Denton County Sheriff's Investigator Larry Kish. Kish has worked numerous crimes of criminal mischief on the courthouse this year and last, and he believes the perpetrators moved to the Square with the music.
"It's appalling to me that they're defacing a piece of county history," he said.
Both last year and this spring, much of the graffiti seems to refer to the defunct punk rock group Drunk Skunks, Kish said. In March 2010, someone used a marker to write the group's name on one of the courthouse doors and the granite. They often write "Screech," the name of one of the band's songs, he said. The group used the sign for anarchy, an "A" within a circle, and that symbol has repeatedly been marked on the building, its steps and the sidewalk.
Kish shows up at odd hours at the courthouse to monitor for problems, he said, and he sees a large group of young people dressed in goth attire - chains and black clothing - whom he believes are linked to the band. The one graffiti-related arrest made this year was a homeless 19-year-old follower of the band, he said.
The Courthouse on the Square is a unique island of county property surrounded by the city. The two law enforcement agencies in charge of the area - the Denton Police Department and the sheriff's office - are cooperating to try to stop the vandalism.
Denton police Lt. Scott Langford said it isn't just the county building that's hit. Many shop owners on the Square and businesses just off the Square also get tagged with graffiti, he said.
"We think it's the bar crowd that's moved from Fry Street with the music," Langford said. "Many of them are from out of town. They come here to tag. That's what they do. We've caught some, and they tell us that's why they came."
Denton police Capt. Lenn Carter said that although the courthouse is considered county property, that doesn't mean the city police officers ignore it. City officers patrol in cars, on foot and on bicycles, he said. If something happens around the courthouse, city officers likely will respond first. They determine whether the issue is serious enough to call for a county officer to take over, Carter said. DENTON COUNTY CRIMESTOPPERS A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the graffiti incidents. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477).
"If the call would require extensive follow-up or investigation, then Denton County would most likely assume jurisdiction," he said.
In the past two months, numerous markings have defaced the courthouse walls, sidewalks and benches. According to a sheriff's report, county workers removed 16 different markings on one recent day.
The courthouse is a historical monument; defacing it is a felony. But catching the perpetrators has proved problematic.
Sometimes large groups of teens gather on the landings. They are complicit and hide the person using the marker, said Investigator Kish. At other times, a lone person does the damage late at night, when most people have left the Square.
"You'd have to have someone patrolling there 24 hours a day, seven days a week to completely stop it," Kish said.
Sheriff's Chief Deputy Lee Howell said the courthouse and its grounds are for everyone to enjoy. The county is stepping up patrols in the area to try to head off the vandalism, and he asked that anyone who sees someone defacing the property to call police immediately.
The sheriff's office takes the vandalism seriously, he said, and will prosecute violators. Defacing a historical monument is a state jail felony with a possible sentence of from three months to two years and a fine of up to $10,000.
Now there are surveillance cameras in place, as well. Law enforcement officials hope the presence of the recording devices will deter vandalism, and if not, they hope video evidence will help identify vandals so they can be prosecuted.
Danny Brumley, facilities manager for the county, said the vandals make work two or three hours at a time, two to three times a week, for workers who must clean off the graffiti while conforming to strict government rules for handling historical monuments.
"We've been fortunate enough so far to be able to get most of it off without damaging the surface," he said. "We can't use a harsh chemical, or we would destroy that surface and the stone would begin to deteriorate."
County officials are glad the public is using the grounds, Brumley said. They belong to the public, and he loves to drive through town and see people congregating on the Square.
He said he hates seeing the grounds after a night when someone has broken beer bottles on the lawn. He and the workers charged with cleaning up the mess despise seeing the anarchy symbols and the names of punk rock songs and the obscenities on the building.
"My guys take pride in that old courthouse," Brumley said. "It hurts them to see that."
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.
