Courthouses: Order In The Court!

An outbreak of ruckus in the courtroom often served as stagecraft in many of the most entertaining stories about early law and order in the Lone Star state; flimflamery meets calamity, on display in some of the state's most venerated performance halls.

Most days, however, the courtroom drama is far more serious.

Attendant courthouse activities in each of the state's 254 counties include a daily routine of issuing licenses, keeping records, assessing taxes, judging misdemeanors, and, most importantly, providing a forum for our elected officials to perform the duties and responsibilities of a civil, self-governing society. Perhaps that's why we place our courthouses at the center of our communities and employ enduring styles and materials for their construction. Courthouse designs across the state, in fact, serve as a compelling record of our social evolution, revealing a journey from our antebellum society's obsession with Greek Revival grandeur to our love of Victorian frivolity, Beaux-Arts classicism, Art Deco modernity, and our embrace of post-World War II simplicity. Courthouses transcribe our society's civil progression forward and their doors are almost always open 9 to 5, Monday-Friday, meaning that an examination of the journey can be enjoyed at your leisure. (Scofflaws, however, aren't so lucky.)