232 of 254 Donley County Courthouse, Clarendon, Texas. County Population: 3,677
Donley County, Texas
"Donley County, in the eastern Panhandle just east of the Llano Estacado, is bordered on the north by Gray County, on the west by Armstrong County, on the east by Collingsworth County, and on the south by Briscoe and Hall counties. It was named for Stockton P. Donley, a pioneer lawyer. Clarendon, the county seat, is near the center of the county, seventy miles southeast of Amarillo. The county occupies 929 square miles of rolling prairie and broken rangeland. Elevations in Donley County range from 2,200 to 3,200 feet above sea level.
"In 1876 the area was separated from the jurisdiction of the Bexar District, briefly assigned to Wegefarth County, and finally designated Donley County. The first group of settlers, Methodists from the New York area, moved into Donley County intending to set up a colony. The colonists were sponsored and led by Lewis Henry Carhart, a young Methodist minister, who purchased 343 sections of the newly formed Donley County and established his colony at the junction of Carrol Creek and the Salt Fork of the Red River. The small settlement was organized in 1878 and named Clarendon, for Carhart's wife, Clara.
"The county was politically organized in 1882, when residents formed a local government and chose Clarendon as the county seat. "The county remained largely unchanged until the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway in 1887 as it built westward from Fort Worth to Colorado. As the railroad crossed the county, it passed five miles south of Clarendon, prompting that settlement's residents to move the town to a new site on the tracks in October 1887."
Donald R. Abbe and H. Allen Anderson, "DONLEY COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"In 1876 the area was separated from the jurisdiction of the Bexar District, briefly assigned to Wegefarth County, and finally designated Donley County. The first group of settlers, Methodists from the New York area, moved into Donley County intending to set up a colony. The colonists were sponsored and led by Lewis Henry Carhart, a young Methodist minister, who purchased 343 sections of the newly formed Donley County and established his colony at the junction of Carrol Creek and the Salt Fork of the Red River. The small settlement was organized in 1878 and named Clarendon, for Carhart's wife, Clara.
"The county was politically organized in 1882, when residents formed a local government and chose Clarendon as the county seat. "The county remained largely unchanged until the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway in 1887 as it built westward from Fort Worth to Colorado. As the railroad crossed the county, it passed five miles south of Clarendon, prompting that settlement's residents to move the town to a new site on the tracks in October 1887."
Donald R. Abbe and H. Allen Anderson, "DONLEY COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Donley County and photographed the courthouse in Clarendon on Tuesday, July 14, 2015.
The courthouse is located slightly off-center in the public square. The building plan is oriented to the northeast, in direction of the commercial district and US Highway 287. The historic courthouse now shares the square with the County Jail and an Annex
Downtown Clarendon
Donley County Courthouse 1890
First occupied in 1891. Bulger & Rapp Architects. Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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A tornado in the 1930's resulted in the demolition of the third floor, towers and roof. Photo courtesy TXDOT
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The building stone
The restored courthouse was rededicated on July 4, 2003, thanks to grants from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program
This picturesque building attracts photographers and videographers
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At the base of the courthouse tower in the primary entrance to the building, on the northeast corner
The east facade
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The building steps back at the base of the tower to create a porch
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The view, looking east, from the porch
The central bay aligns with the interior corridor. To the right, the windows follow the upper flight of stairs
There's a backdoor on the west side. The sheriff's office and jail is visible on the left
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