Texas County Courthouses
Texas Golden Era County Courthouses
In 1881 the Texas legislature passed an act authorizing counties to sell bonds to finance the construction of new courthouses. This change of state law combined with the prosperity that followed the Civil War and Reconstruction eras gave birth to what is commonly called the "Golden Era" of courthouse building in Texas.
In the years between 1880 and 1900 many Texas counties built imposing new county courthouses. Typically these buildings sat at the center of the town square, and were symbolic of the soundness of the town and local government. These courthouses were built in strongly expressive architectural styles. French Second Empire and Romanesque Revival architectural styles were most prevalent during this era. Both of these forms express old world grandness and permanence through form. Without a doubt, permanence was just what the average citizen longed for after the uncertain decades of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Today, North Central Texas has more than its share of golden era courthouses. These buildings are both pleasing to see and interesting historically. It is my intention to understand and view these grand old public buildings from the past and to share my understanding with others. To fulfill that ambition, I present photos and text sharing my perspective and understanding of this set of wonderful old buildings. If you find my coverage of this subject less than complete, I encourage you to look beyond my work. There's a wealth of information available to those interested in the history of Texas county courthouses. Most of all, these wonderful old structures are all here today - available to drive by and see at your leisure, just as they have been for over 100 years.
At the present time I've covered most of the courthouses of interest. I'll post pictures and text for additional buildings as it becomes available. In the mean time take a look at the courthouse pages on the TexasEscapes travel web site. They have wonderful coverage of this subject, and if you look hard enough you may find some of my work there.