Sabine County Courthouse, Hemphill, Texas. (original) (raw)
The Present Sabine County Courthouse
Date - 1906
Built in the Beaux-Arts style, a fire in 1909 destroyed the building's dome and clock tower and they were never replaced.
Architect of the original building - A. N. Dawson.
Location - State Hwy 87
Sabine County Courthouse Historical Marker ›
Sabine County Courthouse as it appeared in 1940
Photo courtesy TXDoT
Sabine County Courthouse Historical Marker
Historical marker affixed to the east side of the courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2007
Historical Marker Text
Sabine County Courthouse
An 1858 election called for Sabine County offices to be moved from Milam (7 mi. N) to this more central location. The new county seat, Hemphill, was named for former Texas Supreme Court Justice John Hemphill. The first courthouse at this site burned in 1875 and was replaced by a larger frame structure. The present building was started in 1906 by N. A. Dawson under the direction of James Barney Lewis. The two two floors were rebuilt following a fire in 1909 and a remodeling of the structure was completed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration.
"Milam served as the seat of local government in Sabine County until 1858, when voters decided to move the courthouse to a more central location. E.P. Beddoe drew the assignment of finding the right spot and platting a town there. They named it Hemphill in honor of John Hemphill, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas and of the State of Texas." - by Archie P. McDonald, PhD
County seal at the front entrance inside the courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2007
District Courtroom on the third floor
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2007
Another view of the 1906 Sabine County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2007
