222 of 254 Hardeman County Courthouse, Quanah, Texas. County Population: 4,139
Hardeman County, Texas
"Hardeman County is on U.S. Highway 287 west of Wichita Falls in the Rolling Plains region of northwest Texas. The county is bordered on the north by Oklahoma, on the east by Wilbarger County, on the south by Foard County, and on the west by Cottle and Childress counties. Hardeman County embraces 688 square miles of grassy, rolling prairies. The elevation ranges from 1,300 to 1,700 feet. The northern two-thirds is drained by the Red River, which forms the northern boundary, and the southern part is drained by the Pease River.
"The county was formed in 1858 from Fannin County and named for early Matagorda legislators Bailey and Thomas Jones Hardeman. After the Civil War a few buffalo hunters and ranchers moved to the region, but it was still only very sparsely settled when the county was organized in 1884. From 1881 to 1884 Wilbarger County administered Hardeman County's legal affairs, though its handful of settlers had few administrative needs. The 1880 population of Hardeman and Foard counties together totaled only fifty, but population increases in Hardeman County and adjacent regions justified organization in 1884 and a change in county lines some years later. Margaret, first called Argurita, was the original county seat. In 1885 the Fort Worth and Denver Railway made a survey through the area, and the site of Quanah was laid out. Since Margaret was across the Pease River from other settlements and from the railroad, an election held in 1890 made Quanah the county seat."
Christopher Long, "HARDEMAN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"The county was formed in 1858 from Fannin County and named for early Matagorda legislators Bailey and Thomas Jones Hardeman. After the Civil War a few buffalo hunters and ranchers moved to the region, but it was still only very sparsely settled when the county was organized in 1884. From 1881 to 1884 Wilbarger County administered Hardeman County's legal affairs, though its handful of settlers had few administrative needs. The 1880 population of Hardeman and Foard counties together totaled only fifty, but population increases in Hardeman County and adjacent regions justified organization in 1884 and a change in county lines some years later. Margaret, first called Argurita, was the original county seat. In 1885 the Fort Worth and Denver Railway made a survey through the area, and the site of Quanah was laid out. Since Margaret was across the Pease River from other settlements and from the railroad, an election held in 1890 made Quanah the county seat."
Christopher Long, "HARDEMAN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Hardeman County and photographed the courthouse in Quanah on Saturday, May 9, 2015.
Westbound on US Highway 287 in Hardeman County
Hardeman County Courthouse 1908
Under construction. Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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Photo circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT
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The courthouse roof is visible from Main Street, looking north
The octagonal cupola painted silver with iron roof cresting on hipped roof. There's a space for a clock that apparently never arrived...
The front façade of the courthouse faces towards Main Street, on the east side of the square. The courthouse was restored and rededicated on May 9, 2014, thanks to the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Fund
The view from the front of the courthouse
A view of the courthouse square from the northeast corner, at the intersection of Main and 3rd Streets
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The northwest corner of the square, at the intersection of 3rd and Mercer Streets
The west façade of the courthouse is on Mercer Street
The view from the west porch of the courthouse
The courthouse annex on Mercer Street
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The southwest corner of the square, looking north along Mercer Street. The county jail is on the left
Quanah's city hall is on the northwest corner of the square, at Mercer and 3rd Streets
View looking north on Main Street, at the northeast corner of the square, on 3rd Street
Looking south on Main Street. The courthouse roof is visible over the buildings
"The Quanah Commercial Historic District contains a high concentration of historic properties that represent significant periods of the physical, economic, and governmental development of Quanah and Hardeman County. The district is physically oriented towards the railroad and encompasses a section of the original commercial area south of the BNSF Railroad. Erected primarily between 1890 and 1930, to house commercial or retail ventures, a majority of the buildings in the district are one or two-part commercial blocks composed of brick or stone. Within the district are several important non-commercial buildings, including the Hardeman County Courthouse, the Hardeman County Jail, and the First Presbyterian Church."
From the National Register narrative
From the National Register narrative
The view of the east side of Main Street from 2nd Street
Looking north on Main Street. 2nd Street is the next intersection
The northwest corner of Main and 2nd Streets
Looking west on 2nd Street
The Quanah Chamber of Commerce on Main Street, north of the square
South of the square on Main Street is this diminutive classic building from 1909, housing the First Presbyterian Church. The historical marker states that it's the work of "Chillicothe contractor R. Henry Stuckey." Stuckey was, of course, the "architect" of the nearby courthouse
Texas Highway 6, southbound near the Foard County border. The Pease River bridge is just ahead