Presidio County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Presidio County Courthouse, and this one's worth pulling over for. Out here in the Big Bend, landmarks earn that word. The land is big, the sky is bigger, and if you want to get noticed, you'd better bring something impressive.

Well, the Presidio County Courthouse brought a dome. A large dome; visible for miles across that wide open country. You don't sneak up on this building.

It announces itself long before you arrive, sitting there in Marfa like it's been waiting on you. Built in 1886, constructed of native stone and brick made right there at Marfa (local material, local pride, rising up out of the desert floor). Stucco was added later, giving it that smooth, settled-in look it wears today.

Now here's the part that tells you something about how wild and shifting this corner of Texas used to be: this courthouse wasn't the first seat of justice for Presidio County, and it wasn't the second. It was the third. The county's first seat was Fort Leaton, down on the Rio Grande.

Then came Fort Davis. Two seats of justice before this one, moving around the landscape like the county itself was still figuring out where it belonged. By 1886, they'd decided.

They planted that dome in Marfa, built it to last out of stone and brick, and made it visible for miles, just in case there was any confusion about where Presidio County had finally put down its roots.

What the marker says

A landmark of the Big Bend. Large dome is visible for miles. Constructed of native stone and brick made at Marfa. Stucco added later. Built 1886 in this county's third seat of justice. First county seat was Fort Leaton, on the Rio Grande; second, Fort Davis. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964.