Castro County Courthouses

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Castro County Courthouses, standing right there on the Dimmitt town square. Now, every county needs a place to conduct its business, and Castro County is no different. But getting to a proper courthouse, well, that took some doing.

This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the very year Castro County was formally organized. Fresh county, fresh start. And while the first courthouse was being built, the county had to make do.

Temporary court facilities were set up in J. N. Morrison's office.

Just picture it. The whole weight of a newly organized Texas county, handled out of one man's office. But the first real courthouse, now that was something to see.

An ornate two-story structure, they called it. The kind of building that tells the world a place means to stick around. And for a while, it did just that.

Until 1906, when lightning hit it, and it burned. So Castro County built again. A brick courthouse this time, with a central dome, built in 1908.

And when it was done, they didn't just cut a ribbon and call it a day. They dedicated it at a community picnic. That courthouse served the county through the years, all the way into the 1930s.

Then it was razed to make room for what stands today. The third courthouse, the present stone building, was built with Works Progress Administration labor and opened in 1939. Three courthouses on the same square where it all began back in 1891.

That's a county that keeps showing up, no matter what lightning or time throws at it.

What the marker says

This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the year Castro County was formally organized. Temporary court facilities were set up in J. N. Morrison's office while the first courthouse was built. An ornate two-story structure, it burned in 1906 after being hit by lighting. A brick courthouse with a central dome, built in 1908, was dedicated at a community picnic. It served until the 1930s, but was razed to make room for the present stone building. Built with Works Progress Administration labor, Castro County's third courthouse opened in 1939. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986