Houston County Courthouse

The first courthouse, a log building, was built in 1838 a year after the city was first laid out. It was used until the second one, a brick structure, was erected in 1851 and occupied until 1865. Between that point and 1871 when the third courthouse was built, county offices were located in a few places. This courthouse, which was two-stories tall, was unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1882. Waco architect Wesley Clark Dodson designed the fourth courthouse in the Second Empire architectural style. It was built in 1883 and used until 1939 when the fifth and present courthouse was built.

The construction of this courthouse came on the heels of a new jail and post office that had just been built. The county requested funding from the Public Works Administration in early 1938 and hired Houston-based architect Blum E. Hester to design it. The PWA approved the project in September and it appears construction began sometime around December. The courthouse opened in October the next year.

In terms of architecture, the building has a somewhat understated yet elegant appearance, featuring a large staircase leading up to the main entrance and terrace, a limestone stone veneer covering the facade, gray marble running along the tops of the walls, and windows arranged vertically. Other interesting elements are the clocks on all four sides of the building. This is somewhat unusual because, at the time, clocks were typically placed on the main entrance facades of public buildings.

Leibowitz, Rachel et al. "Houston County Courthouse." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. May 10, 2010. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40972618/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/10000248.pdf.