Stephens County Courthouse

Duane's take

Here's my take on what the official marker has to say about the Stephens County Courthouse. Now settle in, because this building has got a story that stretches across decades, a couple of oil booms, and one very patient set of creditors. It started humbly enough.

Back in 1872, Stephens County put up its first courthouse, and humble is the word. A small pine building, desks for county officials lining the walls. Nothing fancy.

Nothing that was going to make anybody write home. But it was theirs, and it served its purpose. By 1883, though, the county had grander ideas.

They replaced that pine box with a three-story red stone courthouse, complete with a tower. Now that's a courthouse that tells the county seat means something. That 1883 building had presence.

Then the 1920s arrived, and with them came oil. Discovery of oil in Breckenridge brought a dramatic increase in population, and suddenly that 1883 building, tower and all, was not going to cut it anymore. The county needed something bigger, something worthy of a boomtown.

Voters approved a bond in June 1924. Architect David S. Castle of Abilene got the commission and designed the new building, which was constructed in 1926.

Now here's where the story gets a little colorful. The building wasn't actually occupied until December 1926. But that did not stop anybody from throwing a grand dedication ceremony right here on July 4, 1926.

Independence Day. Because if you're going to open a courthouse, you open it on the Fourth of July, occupied or not. And when they built the new courthouse, they didn't entirely let go of the old one.

The porch and sandstone entryway from that 1883 courthouse were retained and placed on the southeast end of the square. A little piece of what came before, still standing. What came after the celebration, though, was the Depression.

The 1930s turned that grand courthouse into a financial burden, and the county had to refinance the debt. The last payment wasn't made until 1962, thirty-six years after the building was completed. Thirty-six years to pay off a courthouse dedicated on Independence Day.

If that's not a Texas story, I don't know what is. Stand back and look at the thing today: four stories of limestone, Classical Revival style, arched entry doors, monumental primary entry stairs rising to triple-arched entry doors, with ten columns above. It was built in a boom, survived a bust, and it's still standing square in the middle of Stephens County, paid for in full.

What the marker says

Stephens County's first courthouse, erected in 1872, was a small pine building with desks for county officials lining the walls. In 1883, a new three-story red stone courthouse with a tower replaced the original structure. Discovery of oil in Breckenridge in the 1920s resulted in a dramatic increase in population that led to the need for a larger courthouse and jail. Voters approved a bond in June 1924 to build a new courthouse and architect David S. Castle of Abilene designed the building constructed in 1926. Although not occupied until December 1926, a grand dedication ceremony was held here on July 4, 1926. The porch and sandstone entryway from the 1883 courthouse were retained and are located on the southeast end of the square. During the depression of the 1930s, the courthouse became a financial burden and was refinanced. The last payment was made in 1962, thirty-six years after its completion. The four-story Stephens County Courthouse is a fine local example of the Classical Revival style and features limestone construction, arched entry doors and monumental primary entry stairs rising to triple-arched entry doors, with ten columns above. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997