056 of 254: Mills County Courthouse, Goldthwaite, Texas. County Population: 4,936
Mills County, Texas
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"The county was named for John T. Mills, and its area covers 734 square miles of hills and plateaus that drain to the Colorado River, its western boundary.
"The first settlers, like the Indians, subsisted primarily on hunting. A number of the early settlers were German immigrants who toiled, as one put it, in a ' place that was a heaven for men and dogs-but hell for women and oxen.' "In 1885 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built tracks into the region, stimulating settlement and demands for organization. In 1887 the Texas state legislature carved Mills County from lands formerly assigned to Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas counties. Goldthwaite became the county seat." William R. Hunt and John Leffler, "MILLS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online "Goldthwaite was named for Joe G. Goldthwaite, the railroad official who conducted the auction of town lots. "A county courthouse was completed in 1890; the first county jail, constructed in 1888, is now on the National Register of Historic Places. "The Santa Fe built shops and a roundhouse switch, intending Goldthwaite as a division point, but after labor problems in the town the railroad moved its shops to Brownwood. Even without the railroad, the town flourished." Kathy Edwards, "GOLDTHWAITE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online |
Mills County Courthouse 1890
Photo of painting of the 1888 jail and 1890 courthouse. The building burned in 1912.
"[The Mills County courthouse] plans originated with W.W. Larmour (of San Antonio) but were used without permission by the contractor J. H. Walker for the Tom Green County Courthouse - The supervising architect for the Tom Green County Courthouse was Oscar Ruffini who sent a copy of the plans and a photo of the courthouse to his brother Frederick Ernst Ruffini (of Austin) who in turn modified them for the Blanco County Courthouse and for contractor Captain James B. Smith who then used the Ruffini design for the Callahan County Courthouse and the Concho County Courthouse. - Oscar Ruffini then reused the F. E. Ruffini plans for the Mills and Sutton County Courthouses." (in other words, Ruffini copied the courthouse design)
From The Texas Historical Commission building notes
From The Texas Historical Commission building notes
Mills County Courthouse 1913
Photo circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT.
"The Mills County Courthouse in Goldthwaite, Texas, is a 3-story Classical Revival building with a raised basement designed by architect Henry T. Phelps of San Antonio, Texas. Constructed of cast-stone at the basement and brick for the upper three floors, the building follows a modified rectangular plan, with the north, east and west facades composed of identical elements including centered cast stone entry stairs with solid curvilinear balustrades leading up to double entrance doorways capped with arched divided-light transoms. Fluted engaged columns topped with Ionic capitals support copper architraves capped with ornate pediments of pressed stone and brick on these three facades."
From the National Register listing narrative
From the National Register listing narrative
The 1913 courthouse was undergoing a complete restoration when I visited Goldthwaite on July 24, 2010.
I returned to Goldthwaite again on June 25, 2011. The restoration was complete.
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Downtown Goldthwaite: don't know if crime is a problem, but they're ready!
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The north façade of the building is the main entrance
The view from the north facade. The axis of the courthouse is aligned with an alley.
The south façade
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The north façade
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View to the south.
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View to the north.
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The north façade
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1888 Mills County jail
"Located at the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square in Goldthwaite, Texas is the two-story, cream colored, Victorian building which served as the Mills County jail from 1888 until September 9, 1977. With an overall appearance of quiet dignity and reserve, the structure symbolizes the justice and courage that characterizes the one-time pioneer settlement. The exterior walls are constructed of native limestone in the Cyclopean style of rustication (open faced range work) laid in coursed ashlar fashion.
"Crowning the structure is a fitted iron cornice with a concealed gutter drainage system.
"As the first public building in Mills County, the limestone and sandstone
facility was located in the Goldthwaite square more than a year before that
community was declared the county seat."
From the National Register listing narrative
The jail houses the Mills County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
"Crowning the structure is a fitted iron cornice with a concealed gutter drainage system.
"As the first public building in Mills County, the limestone and sandstone
facility was located in the Goldthwaite square more than a year before that
community was declared the county seat."
From the National Register listing narrative
The jail houses the Mills County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
Landscape in northern Mills County, near Priddy, Texas