Erath County Courthouse

Founded in 1854 and named for early settler and land donor John M. Stephen, Stephenville became county seat when Erath County was created in 1856. The first county courthouse, a wood frame structure built in 1856, was destroyed by fire in 1866. By 1890 Erath County was experiencing an economic boom as the railroad reached the area in 1889 and local business increased with improved shipping opportunities. County commissioners called for bids to design a new courthouse in 1891, and J. Riely Gordon submitted the winning design. The construction contract was awarded to S.A. Tomlinson of Fort Worth. Gordon, who became a nationally known architect, had designed two earlier buildings on the town square, the First National Bank and the Crow Opera House, and became well known for his Texas courthouse designs. Completed in 1892, the courthouse is a distinctive rendition of the Romanesque Revival style, featuring locally quarried limestone accented with Pecos sandstone. A 1988 restoration project included the addition of an adjacent courthouse annex, and the central clock tower has remained the most prominent feature of the surrounding landscape for more than a century.

Stephenville, Texas · United States