What is the history of Texas courthouses?
Before Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, Texans were under a centralized governmental structure based in Mexico City. After the victory at San Jacinto, the new Republic of Texas formed counties to create a framework for a localized governmental system. Courthouses were among the first permanent structures built in the new counties, and they immediately became symbols of local pride and self-government. No one knows the exact number of courthouses built in Texas since 1836, but the THC has identified more than 700 present and former courthouse sites, and other sites likely exist. The golden age of courthouse construction began in 1881, soon after the state Legislature authorized counties to issue bonds to build new courthouses. Structures built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries were constructed as monuments of community justice and strength. Of the more than 220 historic courthouses, some 150 were built prior to 1920, and about 80 of those were built before th
