Hood County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, Hood County has seen a lot of courthouses come and go on this very spot; five of them, if you're keepin' count, and that number alone ought to tell you something about how a county grows into itself. The story starts back in 1867, when the first courthouse on this site was, and I want you to picture this, a single log cabin.

One room. That one room was pulling triple duty as the home of county records, the offices of lawyers and land agents, and a mail station all at once. A one-room log cabin doing the work of an entire civic center.

Texas has never been shy about asking a building to carry more than its share. That cabin gave way to not one, not two, but three stone structures in succession; each one a step up from what came before. And then came number five.

Contractors Moodie and Ellis and architect W. C. Dodson put up this native stone edifice between 1890 and 1891, and what they built was a Texas version of the French Second Empire style: handsome, the marker calls it, and looking at it, you won't argue.

Now, after the building was already complete, someone decided it needed a clock tower. Added on after the fact, that tower stood as it was until 1969, when it was reinforced with steel; because in Hood County, apparently, even the afterthoughts are built to last. Five courthouses, one site, and this is the one still standing.

What the marker says

Fifth courthouse on this site. Erected 1890-1891, this handsome building is a Texas version of the French Second Empire style. First courthouse (1867) was a 1-room log cabin housing county records, lawyers and land agents' offices, and mail station. It was succeeded by 3 stone structures. Contractors Moodie & Ellis and architect W.C. Dodson built this native stone edifice. The clock tower, added after completion, was reinforced with steel in 1969. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970