Val Verde County Courthouse

Introduction

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Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic Val Verde County Courthouse has served as the seat of county government since its construction in 1887. Architectural firm Larmour and Watson, which was based in Austin, designed it. The courthouse, which is located in a large city square, was built using colored limestone and features classical details, an octagonal dome in the center of the roof, octagonal towers at each corner, and porticos supported pairs of columns at three of the building's entrances. A jail was built on the northeast corner of the square not long after the county was formed. Two modern government buildings are located directly to west and south of the old jail.

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Backstory and Context

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The courthouse was built two years after Val Verde county was established. Officials chose to call the county "Val Verde" after a Civil War battle of the same name in New Mexico that Texas troops fought in. They also chose Del Rio as the county seat because by then, thanks to the Southern Pacific Railroad which arrived in 1881, the town was a thriving community. County offices were located in a commercial building and in the jail before the courthouse was built. In 1956, a new sheriff's office building was built next to the jail, which is now used by other county departments. It is unclear when the other building was erected.

Sources

Robinson, Willard B. "Val Verde County Courthouse." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 18, 1977. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40973877/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/77001478.pdf.

"Val Verde County Courthouse Square." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed October 5, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=52678.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

The Historical Marker Database

Additional Information

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Val Verde County Courthouse