225 of 254 Hale County Courthouse, Plainview, Texas. County Population: 36,273
Hale County, Texas
"Hale County is on the Llano Estacado in northwest Texas, bounded on the east by Floyd County, on the south by Lubbock County, on the west by Lamb County, and on the north by Swisher and Castro counties. The county was named for John C. Hale, who died at the battle of San Jacinto. Hale County covers 979 square miles of flat terrain, with fertile sandy and loamy soils and many playas; the elevation ranges from 3,200 to 3,600 feet above sea level.
"Comanches hunted in the area from the early eighteenth century to the 1870s, preying on the large herds of buffalo that roamed the plains. By 1876, when Hale County was marked off from Bexar County, both the Comanches and the buffalo had disappeared.
"The first cattle were brought into the area in 1881, when Illinois brothers named Morrison established the Cross L Ranch, which covered twenty square miles at the corners of Hale, Lamb, Castro, and Swisher counties.
"After establishing Hale County in 1876 the Texas legislature attached it successively to Baylor, Donley, and Crosby counties for administrative purposes. The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as county seat. In 1890 the census counted 721 residents.
"By 1900 there were 259 farms and ranches in the county, and the population had increased to 1,680. Cattle ranching was at the center of the area's economy. Farming became more important to the area after 1907, when county residents raised $75,000 to help induce the Santa Fe Railway to build a branch through Hale County."
John Leffler, "HALE COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"Comanches hunted in the area from the early eighteenth century to the 1870s, preying on the large herds of buffalo that roamed the plains. By 1876, when Hale County was marked off from Bexar County, both the Comanches and the buffalo had disappeared.
"The first cattle were brought into the area in 1881, when Illinois brothers named Morrison established the Cross L Ranch, which covered twenty square miles at the corners of Hale, Lamb, Castro, and Swisher counties.
"After establishing Hale County in 1876 the Texas legislature attached it successively to Baylor, Donley, and Crosby counties for administrative purposes. The county was organized in 1888, with Plainview as county seat. In 1890 the census counted 721 residents.
"By 1900 there were 259 farms and ranches in the county, and the population had increased to 1,680. Cattle ranching was at the center of the area's economy. Farming became more important to the area after 1907, when county residents raised $75,000 to help induce the Santa Fe Railway to build a branch through Hale County."
John Leffler, "HALE COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Hale County on Monday, July 13, 2015 and photographed the courthouse in Plainview.
The northwest corner of the courthouse square, protected by a decorated longhorn.
Hale County Courthouse 1890 Hale County Courthouse 1910
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In their book, The Courthouses of Texas, Mavis Kelsey and Donald Dyal mistakenly attributed the 1910 Hale County courthouse to "H.A. Overbeck of Martin, Byrne and Johnson, architects." Actually, the design/build contractor Martin, Byrnes & Johnston, of Colorado City, Texas designed and built the 1890 courthouse ( per historian June Rayfield Welch, The Texas Courthouse Revisited, 1984). According to Welch, the 1890 courthouse building was purchased by a local doctor and used as a drugstore following construction of the current courthouse. The 1910 courthouse was designed by the Dallas architect Harry. A. Overbeck and constructed by W. T. McRae. The 1910 courthouse was "renovated" in 1980 by architect L. James Robison and contractor Belk & Cook.
The south facade of the courthouse faces 5th Street (US 70)
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The northwest corner of the courthouse square, at the intersection of Broadway and 6th Streets.
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The north facade of the courthouse, on 6th Street. The addition on the left dates from 1980.
The view of 6th Street from the courthouse steps.
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THe northeast corner of the courthouse square at the intersection of Ash and 6th. The county jail is in the foreground.
The east side of the courthouse is on Ash Street. The addition dates from 1980.
The southwest corner of the courthouse square, at the intersection of 5th Street (US 70) and Broadway.
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The south facade is adjacent to off-street parking serving the courthouse and jail. The dome really looks out of place on this building.
The south stairs.
View of 5th Street from the south stairs of the courthouse.
A commercial building on 5th Street, across from the courthouse.
Traffic at the corner of 5th and Broadway.
A delightful modern building at the southwest corner of 5th and Broadway.
Looking north along Broadway. The Santa Fe depot is just visible at the end of the street.
The Santa Fe reached Plainview in December 1906.
The ubiquitous grain elevator. This one is north of Plainview.