194 of 254 Jack County Courthouse, Jacksboro, Texas. County Population: 9,044
Jack County, Texas
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"The county's 920 square miles is forested mainly by mesquite, live oak, blackjack oak, and post oak, with pecan, elm, walnut, and cottonwood trees along the waterways. The altitude increases from east to west and ranges from 800 feet to 1,350 feet.
"Jack County was included in the Texan Emigration and Land Company, more commonly known as the Peters colony. Settlers began arriving in the future county by 1855, and by 1856 the first settlement, Keechi, was established. "The Texas legislature approved the establishment of the county on August 27, 1856, and named it for William H. and Patrick C. Jack, participants in the Texas Revolution. It is the only county with that name in the United States. The Butterfield Overland Mail crossed the county. Fort Richardson, on Lost Creek near the site of present-day Jacksboro, was established by the United States Army in 1867 and completed in 1869. It was the most northern of the Texas frontier forts built to protect pioneers against Indian raids and was abandoned in 1878. Mesquiteville was designated county seat; the town was later renamed Jacksboro. Robert Wayne McDaniel, "JACK COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Jack County and photographed the courthouse in Jacksboro on Sunday, August 4, 2013. |
The former Gulf, Texas & Western railroad station is now a city visitor's center
Jack County Courthouse 1886
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
Architect James Edward Flanders designed this Italianate style building. The contractor was Strain, Risley & Winburn. The building was demolished in 1938. However, the cornerstone is displayed on the courthouse square.
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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The 1886 courthouse cornerstone is in very poor condition
Jack County Courthouse 1940
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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The front of the courthouse faces west, on Main Street
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Architect for the Jack County courthouse was the Wichita Falls firm Voelcker and Dixon. This was the last of their nine Texas county courthouses.
Carved stone panels at the roofline of the building
The courthouse occupies a large public square in the center of Jacksboro. This is the south façade, on E. Belknap Street
The northwest corner of the courthouse. The cornerstone of the 1886 courthouse is displayed with the bell from the old courthouse tower
The view, looking west, from the courthouse steps
The front door canopy on the west façade
The north façade, on E. Archer Street
The southeast corner of the courthouse
Carved stone ornament above the east doors
The southwest corner of the courthouse
There are a number of historic 19th century buildings on the west side of the courthouse square
The southwest corner of the courthouse square, at the intersection of Main and Belknap Streets