Texas courthouses are among the most widely recognized, used, and appreciated assets in our communities.
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. (Scoundrels and law-breakers, however, aren't so lucky.)
The late Archer County pioneer Cora Hill, born in 1884, recalled in a 1970’s interview the joys of the annual Fourth of July Archer County courthouse dance. Participants from around the county…
Atascosa County history reads like a grand American novel, unraveling in pages replete with intrigue, money, invention, and renewal. The county’s creation story alone deserves an entire chapter, born along a route…
When Hamlet’s conundrum, “to be, or not to be”, arose for a future Bee County in 1857, the south Texas region was lively with settlers, taxing the limits of the surrounding county…
The seat of Bexar County government has remained within two blocks of its present location since the Spanish established Villa de San Fernando in 1731, over two hundred and fifty years ago…
Built in 1886 and designed by Fort Worth architect J. J. Kane, the Bosque County courthouse and its architectural style represent a High Victorian Gothic Revival design with Italianate influences. Upon its…
The Brooks County region, home to both the county seat of Falfurrias and a brick Classical Revival courthouse completed in 1914, encompasses a rich, south Texas history. The oldest permanent settlement in…
Although the Texas State Legislature created Cameron County in 1848, carving it out of neighboring Nueces County following the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Cameron County citizens would wait for…
Linden, Cass County seat, is home to the longest serving county courthouse in the state. Completed in 1861, the current Cass County courthouse has been in service almost as long as the…
Columbus, seat of Colorado County, saw the first of three courthouses constructed in 1847, in all likelihood a wood frame structure with wood siding and built on the courthouse square. Local folklore…
Head straight for the heart of just about any county seat in Texas and you’ll likely discover the courthouse at its center. Not so, however, in New Braunfels. Here, in the Comal…
Two possible sites were selected for the Cooke County seat in August of 1850, two years after the Texas State Legislature established the county, naming it in honor of William G. Cooke…
The Denton County Courthouse, completed in 1896, exhibits characteristics perhaps unique among Texas state courthouses. Possessing both architectural and historic significance, the courthouse represents the incorporation of forms and materials of particular…
The Dewitt County Courthouse, located in the county seat of Cuero and completed in 1896, survives as one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architectural designs in Texas, inspiring a particular…
Texas architect Alfred Giles is believed have been responsible for the original design of the 1884 Dimmit County Courthouse. Historians attribute fifteen Texas courthouse designs, additions, and remodels to Giles, all completed…
Upon completion in 1891, the impressive Romanesque Revival Donley County courthouse featured prominent towers and chimneys, contrasting red brick and quarried limestone, and a large, arched stained glass window. C. H. Bulger…
Rocksprings, elected Edwards County seat in 1891, consisted of a post office, blacksmith, hotel, one doctor, two saloons, and a population of 250 at the time. The new county seat completed the…
By 1894 Ellis County business was conducted out of its third courthouse, a two-story limestone structure and clock tower completed during Texas Reconstruction in 1874. The decision at the time to build…
The Erath County courthouse restoration is, in many ways, a story of courthouse restoration statewide, illustrating county efforts across Texas to salvage, preserve, and renovate a community’s most important surviving historic structure…
The Falls County Courthouse in Marlin was completed in December of 1939. Much of the façade is Austin shellstone and Texas pink granite makes up the entry steps. The courthouse was designed…
The Fannin County Courthouse in Bonham was built in 1888-1889 of rough-cut local limestone by stonemasons Kane and Cormack. It was designed in the Second Empire style of architecture by architect Wesley…
Fayette County’s first courthouse, located in the county seat of LaGrange, consisted of a wood-frame building purchased for $250 and moved to the present courthouse square in 1838. Described by some accounts…
The Classical Revival Franklin County courthouse, completed in 1912 and designed by Dallas architect L. L. Thurman, replaced an earlier red brick courthouse recalled fondly by local resident Colonel Dan Bolin: “Most…
After considerable turmoil, much of it occupying the early and mid-19th century including the Goliad massacre, the Cart Wars, and the Civil War, Goliad County citizens were grateful for a reprieve. By…
The Gray County courthouse, located in the county seat of Pampa, was designed by W. R. Kaufman of Amarillo who insisted that the style he employed was Georgian despite the many Beaux…
Established in 1846, the Grimes County region was once part of Montgomery County, gaining and losing its first courthouse in 1838. The cedar log building burned shortly after construction. Once Grimes was…
Hamilton County, formed in the mid-nineteenth century, knows how to appreciate its historic architecture. Perhaps that’s because two of its first courthouses, a vernacular frame structure in use during the 1860’s and…
1908 was a landmark year for Hardeman County and the county seat of Quanah. The new century brought change and progress with it, including a new Hardeman County Neoclassical courthouse, built to…
All the world’s metropolitan centers give rise to triumph as well as notoriety over the course of their development and Houston, the Harris County seat, is no exception. It has, in fact…
Marshall, Harrison County seat, quickly rose to prominence by 1850, a mere eight years after the county’s formal organization. With a population of 1,189 citizens, it was considered the fourth largest town…
The 1891 Hood County courthouse, designed in the French Empire style and located in the county seat of Granbury, stood relatively intact for over seventy-five years until one afternoon nature struck. The…
By 1882, the busy community of Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County seat, had already accepted its first official courthouse, a simple, two-story limestone edifice designed by noted Texas architect F. E. Ruffini. The…
Since its completion in 1919, the Hudspeth County courthouse and grounds have served as site for a number of activities above and beyond the conducting of county business. Shortly after construction in…
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County seat, has actually served as center of government for two counties since its establishment. In 1875, Presidio County completed organization, selecting Fort Davis as its seat. By…
The Johnson County courthouse, completed in 1913, is considered one of the most architecturally significant courthouses in Texas due to its dynamic Prairie School design, a dramatic shift in the typical Victorian…
"The first Anglo-American settlement in the county was made in 1852 at Helena at the site of an earlier Mexican settlement called Alamita."
Kendall County and the county seat of Boerne evolved in much the same way as its 1870 courthouse – by changing and expanding according to the needs of its citizens. The stone…
Once home to Caddo Indians, the Red River Valley region of Lamar County began attracting Anglo settlers during the early decades of the 1800s. In 1840, the surrounding population had increased significantly…
In 1856, a small group of settlers who had established a community known as Burleson along the banks of Sulphur Creek, petition the Texas legislature to create a new county, called Lampasas…
During the 2013 restoration of La Salle County’s courthouse, a somewhat straightforward modern building highlighted with Art Deco and Beaux-Arts elements, nothing stood out during the project’s evolution more than the re-gilding…
Lavaca County and the county seat of Hallettsville were in great need of a suitable courthouse by the 1890’s. According to a letter from a visitor who had spent time in the…
Giddings, Lee County seat, was settled primarily by Wendish Lutherans in the mid-1800s, Slavic pioneers who arrived in Texas seeking religious and cultural liberty. Much of the Wendish immigration movement was driven…
Leon County may owe its initial existence to a simple seventy-five by seventy-five square yard compound built in 1839 known as Fort Boggy. Built along Boggy Creek near the present-day Leon County…
Designed by William M. Rice, the 1916 courthouse, in the Classical Revival style, dominates the town site and continues to function as the center of government for county residents today. Defining features…
The restoration of the Llano County courthouse, completed in June of 2002, required repairs typical of a building that had been around for over one hundred years. Fortunately, Llano county citizens had…
The Lynn County Courthouse in Tahoka, designed by architect W. R. Rice, was completed in 1916. It is made of concrete with a brick and terra-cotta veneer, and is an excellent example…
For two-and-a-half years, Marion County and the THC worked to restore the three-story 1912 Classical Revival building designed by architect Elmer George Withers. The county received more than $4.6 million in grants…
The 1885 Maverick County courthouse, designed by architecture partners James Wahrenberger and Albert Beckmann, represents a Romanesque Revival styling with Second Empire details and is one of the longest serving courthouses in…
Bordered on the north by the Colorado River, McCulloch County encompasses nearly a thousand square miles of the geographical heart of Texas. Nearly thirty-one years after its official organization in 1856, McCulloch…
Menard County, organized 1871, conducted its first county business in a house built of pickets before financing the construction of a more permanent, two-story limestone building designed by architect P. H. Mires…
Milam County, created in 1835, originally included parts of thirty-four other Texas counties. By 1846, the community of Cameron began serving as county seat and its first courthouse, in fact the first…
During a major restoration of the Mills County courthouse, the 1913 Neoclassical edifice gracing Goldthwaite’s town center, faint evidence of murals decorating the basement walls of the men’s restroom were discovered beneath…
The first Navarro County courthouse, located in the county seat of Corsicana, consisted of red cedar and post oak logs. The structure, built in 1848, was chinked, clapboard sided and then whitewashed…
Resiliency is a remarkable trait, a characteristic strength inherent in both the Texas legacy and its citizenry. It could also be used to describe what is perhaps at the heart of the…
In 1890, the Dallas County Commissioners Court opened bids for a new courthouse. It would be the county’s sixth since 1846, losing four out of five previous courthouses to devastating fires. This…
The discovery of unique decorative finishes and ornamental painting during the restoration of the Red River County courthouse, financed by a significant grant from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, led the…
Although Potter County was established by the Texas legislature in 1876, it would take another decade before organization provided the county with a semblance of governance. The first settlers to arrive in…
The west Texas town of Marfa may have the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad to thank for its status as Presidio County seat. The honors first went to Fort Davis, once…
The first Rains County courthouse, completed in 1870, consisted of a simple log structure. It was replaced two years later with a two-room frame building constructed in the center of the courthouse…
The discovery of unique decorative finishes and ornamental painting during the restoration of the Red River County courthouse, financed by a significant grant from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, led the…
Located in the far northeastern portion of the Texas Panhandle, the Roberts County seat of Miami constructed its first courthouse in 1890 despite a battle over its official designation as county seat…
If you’ve ever imagined attending your local Garden Club meeting, visions of an agenda might have come to mind featuring sweet little ladies in cotton gloves discussing spring iris beds during refreshments…
The San Saba County Courthouse is the third building to serve the people of San Saba County, Built in 1911, the Texas Renaissance-style building is constructed of brick and sandstone. The architect…
Despite the presence of the military garrison Fort Griffin, Shackelford County hosted a volatile mix of humanity within its borders during the late 1800s. Organized in 1874, Shackelford provided a way station…
The community of Sonora, later Sutton County seat, was established over forty years before the Texas legislature created Sutton County, a region of the far western edge of the Edwards Plateau carved…
Although created in 1858, Throckmorton County waited for organization until 1879, a direct result of the Civil War and hostile frontier conflicts that deterred settlement in the region. Local citizen F. E…
“The end excuses any evil”, the Greek playwright Sophocles wrote in 409 B.C., sentiments that perhaps came to mind in Trinity County when Eastham Prison inmates, painting the courthouse under the direction…
Some of the earliest known human inhabitants of present-day Val Verde County consisted of nomadic people who occupied the natural rock shelters occurring along the region’s many canyon walls. Active between five…
Wharton County, established in 1846, elected the community of Wharton as its county seat before constructing its first courthouse. The small, box-frame structure, built in 1848, served the county until 1851 when…
Wheeler County, one of fifty-four counties created in 1876 out of the Bexar and Young Territories, established its first county government three years later, selecting the community of Mobeetie (known then as…
Williamson County, created in 1848, was named for Robert McAlpin Williamson, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto who acquired the nickname “Three-Legged Willie” due to the wooden prosthesis that replaced…
The current Bell County Courthouse building was designed by Jasper N. Preston & Son of Austin designed in the Renaissance Revival style. Construction was completed in 1884. A restoration in the early…
"The Caldwell County Courthouse was built by Martin, Brynes & Johnston in 1893."
The Coryell County Courhouse in Gatesville was completed in 1897, and is the third such building to serve its citizens. The architect, W.C. Dodson, designed the building in the Second Empire Victorian…
"Erected in 1908, the Fort Bend County Courthouse is one of the fine examples of classical revival architecture found in Texas Courthouses of this period."
The current courthouse, dating from 1895, was designed by noted Texas architect, J.Riely Gordon in the Romanesque revival style made popular by architect H.H. Richardson."
The Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro is a Texas version of the Second-Empire style, it was built in 1890 by Wesley Clark Dodson and tragically destroyed by fire in 1993. The fire…
The Kenedy County Courthouse in Sarita, Texas was completed in 1917. It was designed by architect, Henry Truman Phelps, in the Classical Revival style. When originally constructed, it actually served as the…
The Tarrant County Courthouse in Fort Worth was completed in 1895. It is the sixth courthouse building to serve the citizens of Tarrant County. Built in a Renaissance Revival/Beaux-Arts style out of…
"Guadalupe Victoria, established in 1824, later became simply Victoria, and has served as the Victoria County seat since the county was established in 1836." - http://www.254texascourthouses.net/082-victoria-county.html
The Webb County Courthouse in Laredo, Texas was completed in 1909. Architect, Alfred Giles, designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style. The original interior of the Courthouse is characterized by colorful tile…
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Historic Bridges: Span Across Time
Texas bridges span rivers, creeks, and floodplains across the state. But they also represent history. Bridges reflect what materials were…
Carnegie Libraries: Builder of Literacy
Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American industrialist and one of the country’s most important philanthropists of the 19th century, believed public libraries provided…
Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program
Texas courthouse history cuts a wide swath through our heritage past. With 254 counties, Texas counts more courthouses than any…
Razzle And Dazzle: Historic Theaters in Texas
A mention of historic theaters in Texas often conjures up visions of blinking marquees and wrap-around neon like the mid-century…
Schools and Universities
Funding for a Texas university system began as early as 1839 when the Congress of the Republic of Texas dedicated…
