Eastland made national news in 1928 when the current Art Decostyle courthouse replaced the town’s 1897 courthouse. The old structure’s cornerstone was opened and, according to witnesses, inside lay a Texas horned toad, supposedly still alive after a 31-year slumber. Dubbed Old Rip, the toad died after a nationwide tour and was enshrined in a glass-top casket, still on view at the courthouse.