DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker for Sherwood Courthouse tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now, Irion County got itself organized locally in 1889, and for a good while after that, county business had to make do wherever it could — bouncing from one temporary building to the next, no permanent home to call its own. That's no way to run a county, and folks around Sherwood knew it.
So between 1900 and 1901, they built one. The first permanent courthouse Irion County ever had. And the story starts generous, because the very site it stands on was a gift — Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Ripley gave the land. That's the kind of thing a community remembers. Contractors Martin and Moody took the job, and they didn't haul stone in from far off.
They quarried it nearby. That building rose right up out of the same ground it stands on. Once it was up, it didn't just sit there holding paperwork.
The courthouse was used for dances, for teachers' institutes, for community events of all kinds. Come summer, the yard itself turned into a social ground. People came from across the area, and the place was alive with it.
Now, you have to picture the approach. The yard was enclosed — fenced in to keep out the grazing stock, which, if you've spent any time in that part of Texas, you know is a practical necessity and not a suggestion. To get in, you crossed by a stile over the fence.
Right beside it sat water troughs and hitching posts, ready for the teams and the saddle horses. The whole setup tells you exactly what era built it and exactly who it was built for. For decades, it was the pride of the area.
Then came 1936, and an election moved the county seat to Mertzon. Just like that, Sherwood's courthouse was no longer the courthouse. But here's the thing — it's still standing.
Still in use, in fact, as a community center. The pride may have shifted, but the building endured. Sometimes a place outlasts its original purpose and finds a second one.
This old stone courthouse, quarried from nearby ground, gifted by neighbors, built by local contractors, danced in and socialized in and depended upon — it's still there. Make of that what you will.
What the marker says
(Built 1900-1901) First permanent courthouse for Irion County, locally organized 1889. Replaced temporary housing in several buildings. Site was gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ripley. Contractors: Martin and Moody. Stone was quarried nearby. Courthouse was used for dances, teachers' institutes, community events; yard, for summer socials. Enclosed to keep out grazing stock, approach was by a stile over fence beside which were water troughs and hitching posts for teams and saddle horses. A 1936 election made Mertzon county seat. Once pride of area, this is now a community center. (1971)