215 of 254  Morris County Courthouse, Daingerfield, Texas.  County Population:  12,934

Morris County, Texas

"Morris County is located in northeastern Texas, one county removed from the state's northern boundary and one county removed from the state's eastern boundary. Morris County comprises 256 square miles of the East Texas timberlands, an area that is heavily forested with a great variety of softwoods and hardwoods, especially pine, cypress, and oak. The terrain ranges from gently rolling in the north to hilly in the south, with an elevation ranging from 250 to 600 feet above sea level.
"Before the existence of Morris County, five counties included all or part of its territory. In 1820 the area was organized as Miller County, Arkansas. In 1836 the tract became Red River County of the Republic of Texas. In January 1841 the Congress of the republic established Paschal County for judicial and other purposes and designated Daingerfield county seat. The act establishing Paschal County was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court the next year because it did not provide the county with representation in the legislature. Subsequently, part of what was to become Morris County became part of Red River County, and the rest of the area was part of Bowie County. In 1846 the First Legislature of the state of Texas established Titus County, which included all of the territory in present Morris County. Morris County was demarked from Titus County on March 13, 1875, and probably named for William W. Morris. The county was organized on May 12, 1875, with Daingerfield as the county seat."
Cecil Harper, Jr., "MORRIS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online

I visited Morris County on Saturday, June 7, 2014 and photographed the courthouses in Daingerfield. 

Morris County Courthouse 1882

Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com

Photo, circa 1939, courtesy of TXDOT

"The old Morris County Courthouse was the first permanent seat of government built in one of Texas's smallest counties (259 square miles), formed in 1875 by subdividing an adjacent county. The courthouse, built in 1882, was not conceived as being architecturally unique. In fact, the contract specified the building was to be identical to the courthouse in nearby Franklin County, now demolished. The building thus represents the competitive and practical spirit of the newly prosperous region; the simplicity of the detailing however belies a rather complex and sophisticated plan designed to efficiently maximize natural light and ventilation with eighteen rooms having corner windows.
"Spared demolition in 1972 when the new courthouse was built on a different site, the Morris County courthouse has witnessed nearly a century of the daily civic affairs of a small town and county. John Levi Sheppard was a familiar figure in the courthouse for twenty years as district attorney and district judge until his election to the U. S. Congress in 1900. His son Morris Sheppard who was born and named with the county in 1875, was elected to his father's unexpired term in 1903 and thus commenced a distinguished forty-two year career in the U. S. Congress and Senate. Efforts are underway to preserve the courthouse as a landmark and center of local history in a town first settled in 1830 and is currently the headquarters of the Morris County first Museum and Historical Society."   From the National Register narrative
The historic courthouse, designed by Peterson & Stuckey, is now owned and occupied by the law firm of Nix Patterson & Roach, a very successful plaintiff's firm that has its headquarters in Daingerfield. 

View, looking east on Webb Street, towards the 1882 courthouse. The law firm of Nix Patterson & Roach occupies the courthouse and the historic buildings on the right

The front of the historic courthouse faces west

The rails of the Kansas City Southern Railway cross through the historic center of Daingerfield, just west of the 1882 courthouse

The view, looking west, from the front of the historic courthouse. The Kansas City Southern Railway depot is on the left

Morris County Courthouse 1973 Pierce, Pace & Associates

The front façade of the Morris County courthouse

The courthouse originally had a flat roof. At some point, a sloping metal roof and gable was added, presumably to provide better drainage

The current courthouse is on a hillside, west of Broadnax Street, on the north side of Daingerfield

The front steps and doors of the courthouse. For whatever reasons, the doors are just off-center on this facade

The view from the courthouse steps, looking east to Broadnax Street and a cemetery beyond

Looking south across the front lawn of the courthouse

A partial view of the south side of the courthouse

I believe this outdoor space on the south side of the building was originally open to the sky. The corrugated metal soffit above was added when the sloped roof was installed

The view from the south steps of the courthouse, on Ward Street

The west façade of the courthouse

A large parking lot on the west side of the courthouse, with the recent county law enforcement center beyond

The northwest corner of the courthouse

The north entrance to the courthouse

The north doors open into a generous lobby serving the district courtroom

The northeast corner of the courthouse. The original porches surrounding the building are now home to several mechanical units

The formerly "modern" façade now sports a more functional "traditional" gabled front, albeit better than a "poke in eye with a sharp stick"

The north end of the Ellison Creed Reservoir seen from US Highway 259

U. S. Steel’s Lone Star Tubular Operations in Morris County, Texas, manufactures and distributes high-quality electric-resistance welded tubular products primarily for the oil and gas industries. The facility also has two threading facilities, as well as several specialty/premium thread connections. Just sayin...