087 of 254:  Grimes County Courthouse, Anderson, Texas.  County Population:  26,604

Grimes County, Texas

"Grimes County covers 799 square miles at the boundary between the Post Oak Belt and the Coastal Plain.
"Anglo settlement began with the founding of Stephen F. Austin's colony between the lower Brazos and Colorado rivers. In 1821 Andrew Millican took up residence along Holland Creek west of what is now Anderson. By the end of 1824 seven of Austin's original colonists (the so-called Old Three Hundred) had claimed land within what is now Grimes County.
"In 1830 the territory of what would become the county was incorporated into the new Viesca District, and in 1835 it became part of the newly organized Washington Municipality.
"[The area] became part of Montgomery County, which was organized by the Congress of the Republic of Texas in 1837. On April 6, 1846, the first state legislature accepted the petition of local residents and established Grimes County, named in honor of Jesse Grimes, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence who was then representing the area in the state Senate. A vigorously contested election later in the year resulted in the designation of Anderson-recently platted in the center of the county-as the seat of government. In 1853 Madison County was carved out of northern Grimes County, which assumed its present boundaries in 1873, when Waller County was formed from territory in its southern extremity.
Charles Christopher Jackson, "GRIMES COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online

I visited Grimes County and photographed the courthouse in Anderson on October 2, 2010.  The Grimes County courthouse is one of my favorites.

Navasota is the largest town in Grimes County

Anderson, the county seat, has a population of 222

Grimes County Courthouse 1893

"The Italianate courthouse designed by F. S. Glover and Company and completed in 1894 features both brick and native stone. It incorporates the east wall and foundations of an earlier courthouse that was destroyed by fire. Much of the courthouse's historic wood exhibited signs of termite infestation. Water infiltration damaged the structural components and plaster, and the structural framing in the attic and the county clerk's office needed additional support. The  work on the courthouse focused on repairing deteriorated elements, including structural repairs to the attic and roof, damp proofing and masonry repair, ADA modifications, systems upgrades and a fire protection system. This work was completed in June 2002."
THC Restored Courthouse Narrative Grimes County

Photograph, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT

The Grimes County courthouse occupies a very small plot at the north end of Main Street

The Grimes County courthouse as viewed from the south end of Main Street

Looking south on Main Street, viewed from the second floor of the courthouse

The northwest corner of the courthouse

The north facade of the courthouse