Refugio County Courthouses

The county and city of Refugio take their names from the Spanish Mission de Nuestra Señora del Refugio, established here in 1795. The mission building served as Refugio County's courthouse at various times from 1837 to 1848. Construction of a permanent county courthouse began about 1850 on the town's central plaza, which had been dedicated for municipal buildings when Refugio was a Mexican pueblo from 1821 to 1836. The one-story courthouse, built of shell concrete and cypress lumber, was enlarged to two stories in the late 1850s. A new courthouse built in the mid-1870s burned in 1879 and was replaced in 1880. The fifth Refugio County courthouse, designed by San Antonio architect Atlee B. Ayres and built by local contractor W. H. Borglud, was completed at this site in December 1917. In the 1920s, major oil and natural gas discoveries across Refugio County brought increased population and business activity, and in the 1950s the courthouse was expanded with north and south wings. It continues to serve as the county's governmental and judicial center.

Refugio, Texas · United States