Texas Courthouses
Shortly after I bought my first new car in the fall of 1989, I began making weekend trips from my new home in Houston out into the rest of Texas. I soon began to notice the courthouses, many 100 years or older and architecturally very interesting and beautiful. I photographed the ones I passed. As the weekends progressed, I kept track of the ones I had seen, and planned my trips to see new ones (I added a new verb to my vocabulary: "courthousing").
In the nearly five years I lived in Texas, I went to every county seat except one (sorry, Boston), and even some former county seats which still had their courthouses. On this page you'll find my photos of these Texas legends. You will notice that some photos are missing, which I attribute to being in a hurry in some county seats, and not taking the time to find a courthouse I thought would be ordinary anyway. Nevertheless, I plan to go back some day and complete my collection.
My family has helped, too, taking pictures of courthouses elsewhere as they pass by. I was driving through Jackson, Tennessee, one time with my brother. He indicated he had tried to find the courthouse before, with no success. My one-word reply: "Amateur!" My instincts kicked in, and we were at the courthouse in a matter of minutes.
- Anderson (Palestine)
- Andrews (Andrews)
- Angelina (Lufkin, 1955)
- Aransas (Rockport)
- Archer (Archer City, 1891)
- Armstrong (Claude, 1912)
- Atascosa (Jourdanton)
- Austin (Bellville)
- Bailey (Muleshoe, 1925)
- Bandera (Bandera, 1890)
- Bastrop (Bastrop, 1883)
- Baylor (Seymour, 1968)
- Bee (Beeville, 1912)
- Bell (Belton, 1884)
- Bexar (San Antonio)
- Blanco (Blanco, 1887)
- Blanco (Johnson City, 1916)
- Borden (Gail, 1939)
- Bosque (Meridian, 1886)
- Bowie (Boston) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Bowie (New Boston) [*courtesy of Ralph F. Black in Dallas]
- Brazoria (Angleton, 1897)
- Brazoria (Angleton, 1940)
- Brazos (Bryan)
- Brewster (Alpine)
- Briscoe (Silverton, 1922)
- Brooks (Falfurrias)
- Brown (Brownwood, 1915)
- Burleson (Caldwell, 1928)
- Burnet (Burnet)
- Caldwell (Lockhart, 1893)
- Calhoun (Port Lavaca, 1959)
- Callahan (Baird, 1929)
- Cameron (Brownsville)
- Camp (Pittsburg, 1928) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Carson (Panhandle, 1950)
- Cass (Linden, 1934)
- Castro (Dimmitt, 1939)
- Chambers (Anahuac, 1937)
- Cherokee (Rusk)
- Childress (Childress, 1939)
- Clay (Henrietta, 1884)
- Cochran (Morton, 1926)
- Coke (Robert Lee, 1956)
- Coleman (Coleman, 1951)
- Collin (McKinney, 1876)
- Collin (McKinney, 1979)
- Collingsworth (Wellington, 1931)
- Colorado (Columbus, 1892)
- Comal (New Braunfels, 1898)
- Comanche (Comanche, 1941)
- Concho (Paint Rock, 1886)
- Cooke (Gainesville, 1911)
- Coryell (Gatesville)
- Cottle (Paducah, 1930)
- Crane (Crane)
- Crockett (Ozona)
- Crosby (Crosbyton, 1914)
- Culberson (Van Horn)
- Dallam (Dalhart, 1923)
- Dallas (Dallas, 1892)
- Dawson (Lamesa, 1917)
- Deaf Smith (Hereford, 1910)
- Delta (Cooper, 1940)
- Denton (Denton, 1896)
- De Witt (Cuero, 1896)
- Dickens (Dickens, 1893)
- Dimmit (Carrizo Springs)
- Donley (Clarendon, 1890)
- Duval (San Diego)
- Eastland (Eastland, 1928)
- Ector (Odessa)
- Edwards (Rocksprings)
- Ellis (Waxahachie, 1897)
- El Paso (El Paso)
- Erath (Stephenville, 1892)
- Falls (Marlin)
- Fannin (Bonham, 1965)
- Fayette (La Grange, 1891)
- Fisher (Roby) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Floyd (Floydada, 1951)
- Foard (Crowell, 1910)
- Fort Bend (Richmond, 1909)
- Franklin (Mt. Vernon, 1912)
- Freestone (Fairfield, 1919)
- Frio (Pearsall)
- Gaines (Seminole, 1922)
- Galveston (Galveston, 1966)
- Garza (Post, 1923)
- Gillespie (Fredericksburg, 1882)
- Glasscock (Garden City)
- Goliad (Goliad, 1894)
- Gonzales (Gonzales, 1896)
- Gray (Pampa, 1929)
- Grayson (Sherman, 1930)
- Gregg (Longview, 1932)
- Grimes (Anderson, 1893)
- Guadalupe (Seguin, 1935)
- Hale (Plainview, 1909)
- Hall (Memphis, 1923)
- Hamilton (Hamilton, 1887)
- Hansford (Spearman, 1931)
- Hardeman (Quanah, 1908)
- Hardin (Kountze) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Harris (Houston, 1911)
- Harrison (Marshall)
- Hartley (Channing, 1906)
- Haskell (Haskell, 1906)
- Hays (San Marcos, 1908)
- Hemphill (Canadian, 1909)
- Henderson (Athens, 1913)
- Hidalgo (Edinburg)
- Hill (Hillsboro, 1890) *burned January 1, 1993
- Hockley (Levelland, 1928)
- Hood (Granbury, 1891)
- Hopkins (Sulphur Springs, 1895)
- Houston (Crockett)
- Howard (Big Spring)
- Hudspeth (Sierra Blanca)
- Hunt (Greenville, 1929)
- Hutchinson (Stinnett, 1928)
- Irion (Sherwood)
- Irion (Mertzon)
- Jack (Jacksboro, 1938)
- Jackson (Edna)
- Jasper (Jasper, 1885)
- Jeff Davis (Fort Davis)
- Jefferson (Beaumont, 1931)
- Jim Hogg (Hebbronville)
- Jim Wells (Alice)
- Johnson (Cleburne, 1912)
- Jones (Anson, 1910)
- Karnes (Karnes City)
- Kaufman (Kaufman)
- Kendall (Boerne, 1909)
- Kenedy (Sarita)
- Kent (Jayton, 1957)
- Kerr (Kerrville, 1927)
- Kimble (Junction, 1929)
- King (Guthrie, 1914)
- Kinney (Brackettville, 1910)
- Kleberg (Kingsville)
- Knox (Benjamin, 1938)
- Lamar (Paris, 1917)
- Lamb (Littlefield, 1955)
- Lampasas (Lampasas, 1884)
- LaSalle (Cotulla)
- Lavaca (Hallettsville, 1897)
- Lee (Giddings, 1899)
- Leon (Centerville)
- Liberty (Liberty, 1931)
- Limestone (Groesbeck, 1922)
- Lipscomb (Lipscomb, 1916)
- Live Oak (George West, 1919)
- Llano (Llano, 1893)
- Loving (Mentone)
- Lubbock (Lubbock, 1968)
- Lynn (Tahoka, 1916)
- Madison (Madisonville, 1970)
- Marion (Jefferson, 1912)
- Martin (Stanton)
- Mason (Mason)
- Matagorda (Bay City, 1965)
- Maverick (Eagle Pass)
- McCulloch (Brady, 1900)
- McCulloch (Brady, 1900) - early photo
- McLennan (Waco, 1901)
- McMullen (Tilden)
- Medina (Hondo, 1893)
- Menard (Menard) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Midland (Midland, 1974)
- Milam (Cameron, 1892)
- Mills (Goldthwaite, 1913)
- Mitchell (Colorado City, 1922)
- Montague (Montague, 1913)
- Montgomery (Conroe)
- Moore (Dumas, 1931)
- Morris (Daingerfield, 1881)
- Motley (Matador, 1949)
- Nacogdoches (Nacogdoches)
- Navarro (Corsicana, 1905)
- Newton (Newton, 1902) - note: burned August, 2000
- Nolan (Sweetwater, 1977)
- Nueces (Corpus Christi)
- Ochiltree (Perryton, 1928)
- Oldham (Vega, 1915)
- Orange (Orange, 1937)
- Palo Pinto (Palo Pinto, 1940)
- Panola (Carthage, 1953)
- Parker (Weatherford)
- Parmer (Farwell, 1916)
- Pecos (Fort Stockton, 1883)
- Polk (Livingston, 1923)
- Potter (Amarillo)
- Presidio (Marfa)
- Rains (Emory, 1908)
- Randall (Canyon, 1968)
- Reagan (Stiles)
- Reagan (Big Lake)
- Real (Leakey, 1918)
- Red River (Clarksville, 1885)
- Reeves (Pecos, 1937)
- Refugio (Refugio, 1918)
- Roberts (Miami, 1913)
- Robertson (Franklin, 1883)
- Rockwall (Rockwall, 1940)
- Runnels (Ballinger, 1889)
- Rusk (Henderson, 1928)
- Sabine (Hemphill) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- San Augustine (San Augustine, 1927)
- San Jacinto (Coldspring, 1918)
- San Patricio (Sinton, 1894)
- San Saba (San Saba, 1911)
- Schleicher (Eldorado)
- Scurry (Snyder, 1911)
- Shackelford (Albany, 1883)
- Shelby (Center, 1885)
- Sherman (Stratford, 1922)
- Smith (Tyler)
- Somervell (Glen Rose, 1893)
- Starr (Rio Grande City)
- Stephens (Breckenridge, 1926)
- Sterling (Sterling City, 1939)
- Stonewall (Aspermont)
- Sutton (Sonora)
- Swisher (Tulia, 1962)
- Tarrant (Ft. Worth, 1895)
- Taylor (Abilene, 1914) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Taylor (Abilene, 1972)
- Terrell (Sanderson)
- Terry (Brownfield, 1926)
- Throckmorton (Throckmorton, 1890)
- Titus (Mt. Pleasant, 1940)
- Tom Green (San Angelo, 1927)
- Travis (Austin, 1930)
- Trinity (Groveton, 1914)
- Tyler (Woodville, 1846) [*courtesy of Mildred B. in Gatesville]
- Tyler (Woodville, 1892)
- Upshur (Gilmer, 1933)
- Upton (Rankin, 1926)
- Uvalde (Uvalde, 1927)
- Val Verde (Del Rio, 1897)
- Van Zandt (Canton, 1937)
- Victoria (Victoria, 1893)
- Walker (Huntsville, 1970)
- Waller (Hempstead, 1955)
- Ward (Monahans, 1940)
- Washington (Brenham, 1938)
- Webb (Laredo, 1909)
- Wharton (Wharton, 1889/1935)
- Wheeler (Wheeler, 1925)