Sabine County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Sabine County Courthouse. Now settle in, because this building has had a rougher ride than most. An 1858 election called for Sabine County offices to be moved from Milam, which sits about seven miles to the north, down to a more central location.

That new county seat got a name to match its ambitions: Hemphill, named for former Texas Supreme Court Justice John Hemphill. A fine start. But the first courthouse built on this very site, well, it burned in 1875.

Gone. So they put up a larger frame structure to replace it. You'd think that would be the end of the courthouse's troubles with fire.

You would be wrong. Work began on the present building in 1906, put in motion by N. A.

Dawson under the direction of James Barney Lewis. They were building something meant to last. And then, in 1909, fire came calling again.

The two floors were rebuilt after that second blaze, and the courthouse kept standing. It kept going. Eventually, in 1938, the Works Progress Administration stepped in and saw a remodeling of the structure through to completion.

So what you're looking at today is a building that has survived two fires, two rebuilds, and more than a century of Sabine County business. Some things, it turns out, just refuse to stay down.

What the marker says

An 1858 election called for Sabine County offices to be moved from Milam (7 mi. N) to this more central location. The new county seat, Hemphill, was named for former Texas Supreme Court Justice John Hemphill. The first courthouse at this site burned in 1875 and was replaced by a larger frame structure. The present building was started in 1906 by N. A. Dawson under the direction of James Barney Lewis. The two two floors were rebuilt following a fire in 1909 and a remodeling of the structure was completed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration.