Cherokee County Courthouse

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's what you need to know about the Cherokee County Courthouse. Now, this isn't the first courthouse Cherokee County ever had. Not the second.

Not even the third. This right here is the fourth courthouse to serve the citizens of Cherokee County, and by the time they got around to building it in 1940 and 1941, they were going to do it right. The Federal Works Progress Administration pitched in to help make it happen, and the architectural firm of Gill and Bennett took the wheel on the design.

What they came up with is what folks call a moderne structure, built from native red and white limestone pulled right out of the local earth. She's got a central block flanked by two-and-one-half story wings stretching out on either side, and those primary facades are dressed up with large windows letting in all that East Texas light. Look close and you'll spot the decorative art deco grillwork, the kind of detail that tells you somebody cared about more than just four walls and a roof.

Three courthouses came and went before this one. This fourth one, built with Depression-era grit and federal help, in limestone and art deco iron, is still standing. Cherokee County apparently got it right on the fourth try.

What the marker says

This courthouse, the fourth to serve the citizens of Cherokee County, was built in 1940-41 with the assistance of the Federal Works Progress Administration. Designed by the architectural firm of Gill & Bennett, the moderne structure is built of native red and white limestone and features a central block with two-and-one-half story wings. Large windows on its to primary facades and decorative art deco grillwork are also prominent.