181 of 254 Pecos County Courthouse, Fort Stockton, Texas. County Population: 15,507
Pecos County, Texas
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"Pecos County [the second largest county in Texas] covers 4,776 square miles and lies primarily in the Trans-Pecos physiographic region, which begins at the Pecos River [for which the county is named].
"The first permanent settlement was a United States Army outpost, Fort Stockton, which was established in 1859 at Comanche Springs to guard the San Antonio-El Paso Mail. That same year the Butterfield Overland Mail began service to the army post. The town of St. Gall, later renamed Fort Stockton, was established near the Fort Stockton army post at Comanche Springs by Peter Gallagher, who purchased land for a town site in 1868. St. Gall became a supply center for the army, mail stages, wagon trains, and travelers. "The land of Pecos County was originally in Bexar Land District and later part of Presidio County. Pecos County was established by the Texas legislature in 1871. The county was formally organized on March 9, 1875, at St. Gall, which became the county seat. "During the 1880s St. Gall was renamed Fort Stockton, and the army post closed, causing a temporary economic slump in the county due to lost trade and employment. The county lost virtually all of its small landholders during the 1880s; in 1883 parts of the county land was split off to form Reeves and Terrell counties, and in 1885 another part was incorporated into the new Val Verde County." Glenn Justice and John Leffler, "PECOS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Pecos County and photographed the courthouse in Fort Stockton on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
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Pecos County as seen from I-10: irrigated fields, scrub brush and mesas
A large and rather threatening roadrunner welcomes you to Fort Stockton, the county seat
Fort Stockton has created a visitors center around the historic Santa Fe depot
Pecos County Courthouse 1883
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Pecos County Courthouse 1912
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Photograph, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT
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Since its incorporation in 1875, Pecos County has only had one courthouse. The 1883 courthouse (architect/builder unknown) was substantially altered and expanded in 1911-12. The 1912 cornerstone reads "Falls City Construction Company, Architects, L. B. Westerman, Builder." Falls City Construction, of Lexington, Kentucky constructed the Jeff Davis County courthouse in Fort Davis shortly before the Pecos County project. Although it was an out-of-state firm, Falls City Construction Company also had a history of building courthouses in Texas, including those in Carson, Rains and Deaf Smith counties. In spite of the con-fusing attributions on the courthouse cornerstone, it is believed that L.B. Westerman was the architect. In the 1930's the courthouse was further altered with the removal of the dome and other changes to the roof line.
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The Pecos County courthouse occupies a square block on the southern edge of Fort Stockton
The front of the courthouse faces north, onto Callaghan Street. The primary axis is aligned with an alley
The northeast corner of the courthouse
The cornerstone is on the northeast corner of the building
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The information on the cornerstone is confusing, at best
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The east façade, on the secondary axis of the building, facing Main Street
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View of Main Street from the east porch
The south façade faces a public park across James Street from the courthouse
The south façade gets the dumpster
The west façade, on Nelson Street, with its "filled in" porch
The northwest corner of the courthouse
A recent courthouse annex is located northwest of the historic courthouse
The entrance façade of the annex faces east, on Nelson Street
The county appraisal district building on Main Street
Looking northeast on the former Santa Fe railway