Grayson County Courthouses, Sherman, Texas. (original) (raw)
The 1936 Grayson County courthouse
1939 photo courtesy TXDoT
Grayson County Courthouse
Date - 1936
Architect - Voelcker and Dixon
Style - Moderne
Material - Concrete and limestone
The 1936 Grayson County courthouse today
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, June 2007
Historical Marker:
Courthouses of Grayson County
From pioneer log cabins to a native Texas limestone structure, Grayson County courthouses have taken many shapes and sizes since the county's establishment in 1846.
The first courthouse, a frame building on bald prairie a few miles west of the current county seat, was completed in 1847 for a cost of $232. It served for one year, until Sherman was relocated to this site, and the commissioners court ordered the construction of a log cabin on the southeast corner of the square. Neither it, nor the third courthouse (a two-story frame building on the north side of the square), nor the 1853 brick fourth courthouse were in service for any substantial period of time. An 1859 courthouse, intended to provide the county with a large and structurally sound facility, fell into disuse by the early 1870s. Thus, by the time the Houston & Texas Central Railroad reached Sherman in 1873, Grayson County had seen five courthouses in fewer than 40 years.
The coming of the railroad was a boon to the local economy, and the availability of better building materials led to the construction of the majestic 1876 courthouse - a two-story edifice with tower supporting a cupola containing a clock and a bell - which served the county until it burned in 1930. Due to the Depression, it was six years before the current limestone courthouse was built, in part with federal grants and loans. As centers of politics and government, Grayson County's seven courthouses have played a significant role in the county's history.
Another view of the 1936 Grayson County courthouse
Old postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
1876 Grayson County Courthouse and Confederate Monument
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/