Chambers County Courthouse

Named for Texas pioneer Major General Thomas Jefferson Chambers, Chambers County was established in 1858. Wallisville served as the county seat until the early 20th century and was the site of the county’s first three courthouses, built in 1858, 1880, and 1887. In 1907, an election prompted by Anahuac’s rice canal system and the presence of wild hogs at Wallisville’s courthouse made Anahuac the county seat in 1908. A new courthouse was then built there and completed in 1912, with a jail, indoor plumbing, telephones, electric lights, and an outdoor bathroom for African Americans; it was designed in the Renaissance Revival style with large columns and a stone exterior. That building burned on April 28, 1935. County Treasurer Grover C. Willcox then sought a modern courthouse in keeping with the town’s growth, and with funding from the Public Works Administration as part of Federal New Deal programs, a new three-story ashlar limestone courthouse designed by Corneil G. Curtis and built by Robert E. McKee was completed in May 1937. Combining Art Deco and Moderne architectural styles, its exterior features vertical lines, a symmetrical façade, geometrical shapes, and simple ornamentation. Little has changed since its construction, and it has long served as a focal point of the community while reflecting the county’s economic, political, and social history.

Anahuac, Texas · United States