201 of 254 Cochran County Courthouse, Morton, Texas: County Population: 3,127
Cochran County, Texas
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"Cochran County on the southern High Plains, is bordered on the west by New Mexico, on the north by Bailey County, on the east by Hockley County, and on the south by Yoakum County.
"It was named for Robert Cochran, who died at the Alamo. Cochran County covers 783 square miles of level prairie with elevations varying from 3,500 to 3,800 feet above sea level. "In 1876 Cochran County was formed by the Texas legislature from land previously assigned to Bexar and Young counties. It was a land of grass, sand hills, mesquite, jackrabbits, coyotes, bison, and pronghorn antelope. Until the 1920s, when farmers began to move into the area, the county's economy was dominated by ranches; the huge XIT Ranch controlled much of the land. "The 1890 census does not show any residents in the county, and in 1900 only twenty-five people lived there. During these first years of its existence, the judicial administration of the area was assigned to Hockley and Lubbock counties. "Cochran County began to grow rapidly after 1921. In 1924, after the influx of new farmers had begun, the county was formally organized. In the 1924 election, Morton received seventy-nine votes to Ligon's twenty and thus became the county seat." John Leffler, "COCHRAN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Cochran County and photographed the courthouse in Morton on May 8, 2014, a Thursday.
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Entering Cochran County from the east, on Texas 114
Cochran County Courthouse 1926
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Cochran County Courthouse 1967
 Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
The 1926 Cochran County courthouse was designed by W. R. Kaufman in a classical revival style. In 1967, the firm of Stiles Roberts and Messersmith transformed it into a banal, forgettable building.
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The 1967 building plaque inside the courthouse
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The front of the courthouse faces east, on Main Street
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The south façade, on Washington Avenue
View from the south side of the courthouse, to Washington Avenue
The west façade is on 1st Street
The elevator addition merited its own plaque
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The elevator addition on the west side
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The west façade, with a shaded lawn
The first floor corridor has all the charm of a 60's school building
The district court room on the second floor
The front façade is also home to the mechanical equipment. Duh!
Downtown Morton, Texas
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Morton in my rearview mirror. Heading east...