Uvalde County Courthouse

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's what Duane's got for you on the Uvalde County Courthouse. Now, Uvalde County has been around since 1856, and in that time it has gone through courthouses the way a rancher goes through good boots. This building, the one standin' before you, is the fifth.

The fifth. Four came before it, and every one of them eventually stepped aside for something grander. The story of this particular courthouse starts in 1928, when the building was completed.

It replaced the previous courthouse, which had gone up back in 1890. The Commissioner's Court had decided it was time for something worthy of the county's standing, so they brought in two men for the job. The first was Henry T.

Phelps, an architect who had already put his hand to several other Texas courthouses. The man knew what he was doing. The second was M.

H. Ryland, a prominent local builder, hired to manage the construction project. Together, they gave Uvalde County something to be proud of.

The style is Neo-classical, which means this building carries itself with a certain dignity. Tall, composed, the kind of structure that says the law lives here. Step up to one of the entrances and you're walkin' under an Ionic portico.

Look close at the arches and you'll find cast stone segmental arches, details that took real craft to execute. Five courthouses for one county. Henry T.

Phelps drew the plans. M. H.

Ryland built it up. And since 1856, Uvalde County has kept right on needin' a place to do its business. This one, built in 1928, looks like it plans to stay a while.

What the marker says

Completed in 1928, this structure replaced Uvalde County's 1890 courthouse. The Commissioner's Court hired architect Henry T. Phelps, who had designed several other Texas courthouses, and prominent local builder M. H. Ryland to manage the construction project. The Neo-classical style courthouse is the fifth for Uvalde County, which was created in 1856. Outstanding features include its cast stone segmental arches and Ionic porticoes at the entrances. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983