Jones County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Jones County Courthouse. Now, every courthouse has a story, and the one standing in Anson, Texas has got more chapters than most. Let's start at the beginning.

The Seventh Texas Legislature created Jones County in 1858, and they named it for Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. That's a name with some weight to it. But the county, freshly named and full of promise, wasn't exactly ready to get down to business.

The Civil War came. Then Reconstruction. And on top of all that, the area's untamed wilderness had a vote in the matter too.

All of it combined to postpone the county's formal organization until 1881. Some things just can't be rushed. Once the county did get organized, voters selected Jones City as the permanent county seat.

That town would later be renamed Anson. The first permanent courthouse was a small frame building, modest as you'd expect for a young county still finding its footing. That served well enough until 1884, when the county purchased a hotel and put it to work as a courthouse.

Now that's Texas problem-solving right there. Then came an 1886 brick courthouse, which served Jones County for the next twenty-four years. Twenty-four years.

That building did its duty. But by late 1909, the Jones County commissioners court had looked around at what the county was becoming, and they liked what they saw a little too much to keep squeezing into the old place. County Judge J.

R. Stinson led that commissioners court, and they made a decision: the growth of the county called for a larger courthouse. They didn't think small about it, either.

They selected Elmer G. Withers of Stamford, fifteen miles north, as their architect, and brought in the Texas Building Company of Fort Worth as contractor. These were people who knew what they were doing.

And in 1910, the new Jones County Courthouse was completed. What they built is something to see. It's an excellent example of Beaux Arts styling, and if you look close, you'll find influences from the Arts and Crafts movement worked right into the decorative painting on the ceiling of the district courtroom.

That painting was uncovered during a rehabilitation in the nineteen-nineties, which means for a good while, nobody even knew it was up there. A hidden flourish, waiting patiently. The building is constructed of brick and Pecos red sandstone, and it carries itself accordingly.

Pedimented porticoes with flanking pairs of Ionic columns greet you on each facade. And up top, crowning that domed clock tower, stands the statue of Lady Justice herself. Brick, sandstone, columns, a hidden ceiling, and Lady Justice keeping watch from above.

The Jones County Courthouse continues to stand as an important part of Anson's architectural heritage and a center of politics and government for the citizens of the county. Some buildings just earn their place. This one has been earning it since 1910.

What the marker says

The Seventh Texas Legislature created Jones County in 1858 and named it for Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the area's untamed wilderness combined to postpone the county's formal organization until 1881. Voters selected Jones City, later renamed Anson, as permanent county seat. The first permanent courthouse was a small frame building, which served until the county purchased a hotel in 1884 for use as a courthouse. An 1886 brick courthouse served the county for the next 24 years. In late 1909, the Jones County commissioners court, led by County Judge J. R. Stinson, determined that the growth of the county called for a larger courthouse. They selected Elmer G. Withers of Stamford (15 mi. N) and the Texas Building Company of Fort Worth as architect and contractor, respectively. Completed in 1910, the Jones County courthouse is an excellent example of Beaux Arts styling, with influences from the Arts and Crafts movement found in the decorative painting uncovered during a 1990s rehabilitation on the ceiling of the district courtroom. Other notable features include the statue of Lady Justice atop the domed clock tower and the pedimented porticoes with flanking pairs of Ionic columns on each façade. Constructed of brick and Pecos red sandstone, the Jones County courthouse continues to stand as an important part of Anson's architectural heritage and a center of politics and government for the citizens of the county. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000