052 of 254: Galveston County Courthouse, Galveston, Texas. County Population: 291,309
Galveston County, Texas
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"The county's economy historically derives from its location as an important hub of land and sea transportation on the Gulf. Galveston is the oldest deepwater port west of New Orleans, ..."
Diana J. Kleiner, "GALVESTON COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Galveston County and photographed the courthouses in Galveston on July 17, 2010 and on November 13, 2011. |
Galveston Island, January 20, 2009, onboard an American Airlines flight to Miami
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"Sixteenth-century Spanish explorers knew Galveston Island as Isla de Malhado, the 'Isle of Misfortune,' or Isla de Culebras, the 'Isle of Snakes.'
"In 1685 French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, challenged Spanish control in the area and may have named the island San Louis for Louis XIV of France, but did not establish settlements. "In 1783 José Antonio de Evia, a Spanish navigator, surveyed the channel and named the bay Galvezton for Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez, who befriended the United States in the Revolutionary War. The island maintained its designation under the Spanish as San Luis for a time, but had become known as Galveston Island by 1820. "Galveston County was formed in 1838 under the republic from Harrisburg, Liberty, and Brazoria counties and organized in 1839. The first county courthouse, at Saccarappa, a community named for a river in Maine by settlers from that state, was located at the eastern end of Galveston Island. "By 1839 steamers that furnished supplies to much of Texas plied the distance between the port and New Orleans, and construction of the Galveston wharves began in that year." Diana J. Kleiner, "GALVESTON COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online |
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Galveston County Courthouse 1898
In 1895 Galveston County officials announced a com-petition for the design of a new courthouse. After protests from citizens, the competition was cancelled. However, a fire heavily damaged the Eugene Heiner courthouse (actually, a remodeling of an older courthouse) in 1896 and the competition was back on again in 1897. After selecting a design by local architect Nicholas J. Clayton, the county was forced to withdraw the award and eventually hired the Fort Worth firm of Marshall Sanguinet to design the Beaux Arts building, completed in 1898.
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1898 Galveston County courthouse. Photo circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT.
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1966 Galveston County courthouse. Raymond Rapp & Koten & Assoc., architects. This courthouse replaced the 1898 building.
2006 Galveston County Justice Center. Bay Architects.
