DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Live Oak County Courthouse — and friend, this one's got cattle, ambition, and a building that outlasted the man who dreamed it up. Now, the Texas Legislature created Live Oak County back in 1852, and from the start, Oakville held the honor of being the county seat. They put up a native stone and lumber building right on the public square — modified it through the years as needs changed — and that courthouse served the county for more than sixty years.
That's a good long run by any measure. But then the railroads came rollin' in during the 1910s, and when railroads arrive, things start shifting. Population was growin'.
And where there's a growin' county, there's bound to be somebody with a vision — and an opinion about where things ought to be. Enter George Washington West. Noted cattleman.
Owner of a sprawling two-hundred-thousand-acre ranch. And a man who, in 1912 and 1913, laid out an entire town and named it after himself. Now, George West wasn't content to just build a town — he lobbied, hard, for the county seat to relocate to his new settlement.
And in 1919, it did. The county seat moved to George West. And Mr.
West, wasting not a single moment, immediately deeded an entire block for the construction of a new courthouse. For that courthouse, he turned to a friend — Alfred Giles, a well-known San Antonio architect, born in 1853. Giles was no stranger to big commissions.
He'd designed more than a dozen county courthouses across Texas, plus homes, schools, and commercial buildings scattered around Texas and Mexico. He'd even designed Mr. West's own ranch house back in the 1880s.
These two went way back. The courthouse Giles designed was something to behold. A symmetrical three-story structure in dark brick and cast stone — classical revival style, the kind of building that announces itself.
Porticos supported by large unfluted Corinthian columns with detailed capitals, all accentuated in white along with the architrave and cornice. And they advertised it as fireproof, with reinforced concrete throughout. When a county puts up a courthouse, they want it to last.
Now here's where the story takes a quiet, somber turn. Alfred Giles — born 1853, died 1920 — did not live to see his courthouse completed. The man who designed it, who put his vision into every column and cornice, died before it was done.
His friend Mr. West, George Washington West, who had poured his ambition into that town and that block of donated land — he died in 1926. The courthouse they built together, that 1920 Live Oak County Courthouse, would outlast them both.
And it has. For more than a century now, that building on that deeded block has hosted the governmental and legal proceedings of Live Oak County. Political rallies.
Weddings. Christmas events. County celebrations.
The full range of what a community does when it gathers. Two men with a friendship, a vision, and a two-hundred-thousand-acre ranch between them — and what they left behind is still standin', still servin', still holding court in George West, Texas. Some buildings earn their place.
This one was built for it.
What the marker says
The Texas Legislature created Live Oak County in 1852 and the first county seat was in Oakville. A native stone and lumber building constructed on the public square and modified through the years served as the county courthouse for more than sixty years. With the arrival of railroads in the 1910s, the county's population was growing. Noted cattleman George Washington West (1885-1926), who owned a sprawling 200,000-acre ranch, laid out the town of George West in 1912-13 and lobbied for the county seat to relocate to his new settlement. In 1919, the county seat moved and Mr. West immediately deeded an entire block for construction of a courthouse. The 1920 Live Oak County Courthouse was designed by well-known San Antonio architect Alfred Giles (1853-1920), a friend of Mr. West and the architect of his 1880s ranch house. Giles designed more than a dozen county courthouses and numerous homes, schools and commercial buildings around Texas and Mexico. Sadly, he died before the Live Oak County Courthouse was complete. The classical revival courthouse is a symmetrical three-story dark brick and cast stone building. Porticos are supported by large unfluted Corinthian columns with detailed capitals and are accentuated in white along with the architrave and cornice. The structure was advertised as fireproof with reinforced concrete. In addition to governmental and legal proceedings, the Live Oak County Courthouse and grounds have been the location of community events ranging from political rallies and weddings to Christmas events and county celebrations. For more than a century, the courthouse has served the people of Live Oak County while embodying historical and architectural distinction. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2020