187 of 254 Smith County Courthouse, Tyler, Texas. County Population 230,184
"The county comprises 932 square miles of the East Texas Timberlands region. The elevation ranges from 300 to 600 feet above mean sea level.
"George W. Bays, who arrived on the Neches Saline in 1823, became the first non-Indian settler. Though he left after the Fredonian Rebellion and later returned only briefly, others were moving into the area. Still, unrest prevented the development of any sizable white settlement. "Deteriorating relations with the Cherokees retarded settlement of the area until the Cherokee War of 1839 led to the removal of the tribe. "In July 1846 Smith County was marked off from the Nacogdoches District and named for Gen. James Smith, a hero of the Texas Revolution and a prominent military figure in the Republic of Texas. Tyler was designated as the county seat and has remained so." Vista K. McCroskey, "SMITH COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online "[Tyler], located near the geographic center of the county, was selected by a panel of commissioners appointed by the legislature and was named for President John Tyler in recognition of his support for admitting Texas to the United States. "Buoyed by the prosperity of the surrounding farms and plantations, Tyler quickly emerged as a leading shipping and commercial center for the region. Christopher Long, "TYLER, TX," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Smith County and photographed the courthouse in Tyler on July 13, 2013 and September 23, 2017. |
Smith County Courthouse 1954 |
Architects and Engineers: Thomas Jameson & Merrill with E. Davis Wilcox
Refer to the Falls County courthouse, also designed by Arthur Thomas. |