190 of 254 Delta County Courthouse, Cooper, Texas. County Population 5,231
Delta County, Texas
I visited Delta County and photographed the courthouse in Cooper on Saturday, August 3, 2013.
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"[Delta County] is bordered by the North Sulphur River on the north and the South Sulphur River on the south. The two waterways join to form the eastern boundary.
"The county comprises 278 square miles of the Blackland Prairies. The terrain is undulating; the elevation ranges from 400 to 500 feet above mean sea level. "The isolation caused by river boundaries on the north, south, and east, as well as the large Jernigan Thicket on the west, made [travel difficult]. "... in 1836 the government of the new Republic of Texas recognized the land between the Sulphur rivers as part of Red River County. "In 1840 the Congress of Texas formed Lamar County, which included present-day Delta County, from Red River County. In March 1846 the new state legislature organized Hopkins County, which absorbed the southern two-thirds of Delta County. "As the less-isolated county seats of Hopkins and Lamar Counties grew and developed, people from the river delta were forced to travel long distances over inadequate dirt roads and to cross waterways that were often flooded. In 1868 they petitioned the legislature to form a new county that would include parts of Hopkins, Lamar, Hunt, and Fannin counties. Texas lawmakers granted their request on July 29, 1870, but only after excluding Hunt and Fannin counties because neither wished to be included. ... the new district, [was] called Delta County for its triangular shape. The county seat [was] a new town named Cooper after Leroy Cooper, chairman of the House Committee on Counties and Boundaries." Vista K. McCroskey, "DELTA COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online |
Looking west on Dallas Avenue in Cooper, Texas
Delta County Courthouse 1899
The cornerstone of the 1899 Delta County courthouse is all that remains of this ornate building that stood in the central town square of Cooper, the county seat. Unfortunately, there is no mention on the cornerstone of the designer of this substantial edifice.
Delta County Courthouse 1941
This building was a WPA project, designed by architect Hook Smith. Oddly, the building stone for this courthouse has been framed and attached to the exterior wall, indicating it was removed from its original location at some point. Perhaps in 1977, when the building exterior was "restored" according to "The Texas Courthouse Revisited" by June R. Welch (1984).
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
The south façade on W. Dallas Avenue. Photograph, courtesy of TXDOT
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The building stone is attached to the north end of the east façade of the courthouse
The southeast corner of the courthouse, at the intersection of NW 2nd Street and W. Dallas Ave. This location is one block west of the town square
The wooden window frames are in poor condition
The east façade. The 1977 exterior "remodeling" apparently included removal of the original stone cladding on the exterior and the installation of a brick veneer in its place
The south entrance. Compare this to the TXDOT photograph above. The brick veneer replaced the original stone cladding and details
The southwest corner of the courthouse. The west side (the back) of the building faces an alley since the courthouse occupies only one-half of a city block
The northwest corner of the courthouse. A metal ramp has been added to provide access to the first floor of the building
The north entrance to the courthouse is on W. Bonham Avenue
The county law enforcement building is across W. Bonham Avenue from the courthouse