DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the seven courthouses of Liberty County. Now settle in, because this is a story about a town that just could not stop building courthouses. Seven of them.
Seven. And before you laugh, hear me out — because every single one of those buildings had a reason for existing, and more than a few had a reason for disappearing. Liberty, Texas.
Seat of government for the municipality of Liberty, one of twenty-three territories established by Mexico in the 1830s. That's where this story begins. The first courthouse went up in 1831, hewn right out of logs.
Rough and ready, just like the times. Then 1836 came along — Texas won independence from Mexico, municipalities got converted into counties, and Liberty became the county seat of Liberty County. The log courthouse had done its job.
Time for something a little more dignified. The second courthouse rose in 1840 — a one-story frame house, split cypress boards. Step up from logs, sure.
But Liberty County was growin', and by the mid-1840s they were framin' up a third courthouse right here on this Square. Two stories this time. Thirty-two feet by forty feet.
The first floor served as the courtroom, and you can imagine the boots on those floorboards, the arguments that filled those walls. But Liberty County kept growin'. The fourth courthouse — now this one had some ambition to it.
Brick. Financed primarily from the sale of land owned by the town of Liberty. Completed by 1857, it must have felt like something permanent had finally arrived.
Permanence is a funny thing, though. Fire destroyed that courthouse in 1872. Just like that.
Gone. So they built a fifth. Also brick — because apparently brick had not yet learned its lesson with this county.
Completed in 1877. And for a while, things looked fine. But that courthouse deteriorated rapidly, and after only eighteen years it was condemned and removed from the Square.
Eighteen years. Brick. Condemned.
You start to wonder what Liberty County did to offend the building trades. By 1895, the members of Liberty's Masonic Lodge were laying the cornerstone for courthouse number six. Three stories.
And this one, finally, became something the town could be proud of — a popular local gathering place, the marker says. That means something. That means people wanted to be there.
But Liberty County wasn't done writing its story in stone and timber. The seventh courthouse was built of Texas Cordova cream limestone, completed in 1931, then enlarged in 1957. Seven courthouses.
Logs to limestone. Fire, rot, condemnation, and cornerstone after cornerstone. Liberty kept showing up to try again.
That right there might be the most Liberty County thing about Liberty County.
What the marker says
The town of Liberty served as the seat of government for the municipality of Liberty, one of 23 territories in Texas established by Mexico in the 1830s. The first courthouse was erected here in 1831 and was made of hewn logs. Municipalities were converted into counties in 1836 when Texas won independence from Mexico; Liberty became the county seat of Liberty County. Constructed in 1840, the second courthouse was a one-story frame house, with split cypress boards. A third courthouse, a two-story frame structure, was built on this Square in the mid-1840s and measured 32 feet by 40 feet. The first floor served as the courtroom. Liberty County's fourth courthouse, completed by 1857, was fabricated of brick and financed primarily from the sale of land owned by the town of Liberty. Fire destroyed that courthouse in 1872. the fifth courthouse, also constructed of brick, was completed in 1877 but deteriorated rapidly and after only 18 years was condemned and removed from the Square. Members of Liberty's Masonic Lodge laid the cornerstone for the sixth courthouse in 1895. The three-story structure was a popular local gathering place. The seventh courthouse, built of Texas Cordova cream limestone was completed in 1931 and enlarged in 1957.