008 of 254  Coryell County Courthouse, Gatesville, Texas.  County Population:  75,576

Coryell County, Texas

"Coryell County, in central Texas about 210 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, is bordered by Hamilton, Bosque, McLennan, Bell, and Lampasas counties. Gatesville, the county seat, is on U.S. Highway 84 and State Highway 36, about eighty miles north of Austin and 110 miles southwest of Dallas. The present county comprises 1,031 square miles of plateaus and grasslands in the Grand Prairie region, with elevations ranging from 600 to 1,493 feet above sea level.
"The area that became Coryell County was part of the Milam Land District, assigned by the Mexican government for settlement first to Robert Leftwich in 1825, and later to Sterling C. Robertson.  ... few settlements existed before the late 1840s, when the United States established Fort Gates and other military posts along the frontier to protect incoming residents from Indians. The line of frontier forts was moved farther west in the early 1850s, and Fort Gates was abandoned in 1852. Settlers in the Fort Gates area numbered about 250 at that time, and they began to campaign for a county seat. In 1854 the legislature established Coryell County and named it in honor of frontiersman James Coryell, an early landholder. Residents chose the site for Gatesville, the county seat, in an election held in May 1854."
  Handbook of Texas Online, Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl, "Coryell County," 

I visited Coryell County and photographed the courthouse on Thursday, May 14, 2009 and Tuesday, May 22, 2012.

Coryell County Courthouse 1898

Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com

On May 15, 1897, architect W.C. Dodson was commissioned to draw plans and  specifications for a third courthouse at a contract price of three and half percent of the total building cost. The only stipulations imposed on the architect were that the building have a cupola on top with a Seth Thomas Clock and a bell of not less than 800 pounds, and that the building be roofed in metal  with the dome on the cupola in clad copper. In addition, there were to be dual statues of Liberty and Justice at the north and south entrances."
From the National Register narrative

W.C. Dodson, designed this Beaux Arts style building with Romanesque influences.  Dodson designed a number of Central Texas courthouses, including Hood, Denton, and Hill counties.

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Approaching the courthouse square from the east, on Main Street.

The front of the courthouse, with the pediment, faces south and fronts on E. Leon Street. The cowboy in the white pickup truck on the left (with a dog leaning out the driver's window) slowed down after I took this photo and said to me, "It's sure purdy, ain't it?' I have to agree.

An eagle tops the courthouse. Lady Justice is on the east side of the front pediment. And, yes, the clocks work.

The corners of the Gatesville courthouse square are marked by these delightful metal boots. Size: very large.

The front entrance, on the south facade.

The south facade faces E. Leon Street.

The east facade, on 7th Street.

The north entrance, on Main Street. The cornerstone is on the left.

The cornerstone is very difficult to read but it does state: "W.C. Dodson Architect"

The west side of the courthouse, on 6th Street, is the "back" of the building, with the electrical service entrance and mechanical equipment.

The atrium on the first floor. The south entrance doors are on the left.

The central atrium has windows and balconies that overlook the first floor.

The atrium is topped by a stained glass dome, lit from above by windows in the tower.

The county annex at the corner of 7th and Leon Streets on the square.