Callahan County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Callahan County has had a few courthouses in its time, and each one tells you something about a county that just kept on growing. The county seat moved from Belle Plain to Baird in 1883, and right away they needed a proper place to conduct business.

So they brought in a noted architect by the name of F.E. Ruffini, and he designed a courthouse right here on this very site. Not bad for a county just getting its footing.

But Callahan County wasn't finished growing. Come 1900, the county hired another noted architect, J. Riely Gordon, to design something larger.

J.E. Flanders came on as the supervising architect, and together they saw that project through. Now, you might think two courthouses would be enough for any self-respecting county.

But Callahan County had other ideas. By 1928, the county was still growing, and they went out to Wichita Falls and hired Voelcker and Dixon, Architects and Engineers. Those folks drew up plans for a Classical Revival courthouse, and it was completed the very next year.

Suggs and Dunlap contractors did the building work, and they did not cut corners. When you look at this place, you'll notice intricate detailing worked right into the stone and plaster: acanthus leaves, rosettes, medallions, cartouches. The kind of ornament that says a county means to stay.

Three courthouses on one site. Belle Plain may have been the start, but Baird is where Callahan County put down its roots and built something worth admiring.

What the marker says

The county seat moved from Belle Plain to Baird in 1883, and a courthouse, designed by noted architect F.E. Ruffini, was built at this site. The county hired another noted architect, J. Riely Gordon, in 1900 for a larger courthouse; J.E. Flanders was the supervising architect. In 1928, the growing county hired Voelcker & Dixon Architects & Engineers of Wichita Falls, who designed this Classical Revival courthouse, completed the next year. Suggs and Dunlap contractors constructed the building, which features intricate detailing, including acanthus leaves, rosettes, medallions and cartouches. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003