Stephens County Courthouse. Stephens County's first courthouse, erected in 1872, was a small pine building with desks for county officials lining the walls. In 1883, a new three-story red stone courthouse with a tower replaced the original structure. Discover of oil in Breckenridge in the 1920s resulted in a dramatic increase in population that led to the need for a larger courthouse and jail. Voters approved a bond in June 1924 to build a new courthouse and architect David S. Castle of Abilene designed the building constructed in 1926. Although not occupied until December 1926, a grand dedication ceremony was …
continued below
The UNT Libraries serve the university and community by providing access to physical and online collections, fostering information literacy, supporting academic research, and much, much more.
Descriptive information to help identify this photograph.
Follow the links below to find similar items on the Portal.
Description
Stephens County Courthouse. Stephens County's first courthouse, erected in 1872, was a small pine building with desks for county officials lining the walls. In 1883, a new three-story red stone courthouse with a tower replaced the original structure. Discover of oil in Breckenridge in the 1920s resulted in a dramatic increase in population that led to the need for a larger courthouse and jail. Voters approved a bond in June 1924 to build a new courthouse and architect David S. Castle of Abilene designed the building constructed in 1926. Although not occupied until December 1926, a grand dedication ceremony was held here on July 4, 1926. The porch and sandstone entryway from teh 1883 courthouse were retained and are located at the southeast end of the square. During the depression of the 1930s, the courthouse became a financial burden and was refinanced. The last payment was made in 1962, thirty-six years after its completion. The four-story Stephens County Courthouse is a fine local example of the classical revival style and features limestone construction, arched entry doors and monumental primary entry stairs rising to triple arched entry doors, with ten columns above. (1997).
Subjects
University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure
This photograph is part of the following collection of related materials.
Photographing Texas
These images come from individuals' travels across the state. Subjects include Texas scenery, wildlife, county courthouses, state parks, national parks, libraries, museums, historic sites, outdoor murals, architecture, monuments, and historic plaques -- a little bit of everything Texas!
Repositioning map may be required for optimal printing.
Help Map this Photograph
Tell us if you know the precise location of this item. In the lower-left corner of map below, select either the pin () or the box (). Drop a pin or drag to create a new rectangle. Zoom and Pan the map as needed.