234 of 254 Childress County Courthouse, Childress, Texas. County Population: 7,041
Childress County, Texas
"Childress County, on the eastern edge of the Panhandle, is bounded on the east by Oklahoma, on the south by Cottle County, on the West by Hall County, and on the north by Collingsworth County. The county is named for George C. Childress, author of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The county seat, Childress, is located 116 miles southeast of Amarillo, on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway and U.S. Highway 287.
"The county comprises 699 square miles of rolling prairies and rough river bottoms. The elevation of the county ranges from 1,600 to 1,900 feet above sea level. The major water feature of the county is the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, which bisects the county as it flows eastward towards the main channel of the Red River.
"The Texas legislature formed Childress County in 1876. Farms began to be established in the Childress County in the 1880s after the Fort Worth and Denver City extended its tracks into the area. This railroad began construction of its line from Fort Worth to the Texas-New Mexico border in 1881 and crossed into Childress County in April 1887. Organization of the county soon followed. A lively competition for the role of county seat developed between two townsites: Childress City, favored by most of the county residents, and Henry, the site favored by the railroad. In a second election Henry became the county seat; its name was changed to Childress. The old Childress City disappeared as all its buildings were moved to the new town."
Donald R. Abbe, "CHILDRESS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"The county comprises 699 square miles of rolling prairies and rough river bottoms. The elevation of the county ranges from 1,600 to 1,900 feet above sea level. The major water feature of the county is the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, which bisects the county as it flows eastward towards the main channel of the Red River.
"The Texas legislature formed Childress County in 1876. Farms began to be established in the Childress County in the 1880s after the Fort Worth and Denver City extended its tracks into the area. This railroad began construction of its line from Fort Worth to the Texas-New Mexico border in 1881 and crossed into Childress County in April 1887. Organization of the county soon followed. A lively competition for the role of county seat developed between two townsites: Childress City, favored by most of the county residents, and Henry, the site favored by the railroad. In a second election Henry became the county seat; its name was changed to Childress. The old Childress City disappeared as all its buildings were moved to the new town."
Donald R. Abbe, "CHILDRESS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Childress County and photographed the courthouse in Childress on Tuesday, July 14, 2015.
The Childress street grid is aligned with the railroad, resulting in a tilt to the northeast. The courthouse square, with the 1939 building in its center, in located on the south side of US Highway 287. A small jail building is located on the northeast corner of the square
Flanking the sidewalk leading to the courthouse are a pair of historic cornerstones: on the left, the 1891 cornerstone, on the right, the other 1891 cornerstone
Childress County Courthouse 1891
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The 1891 courthouse is actually the second Childress County courthouse. Childress City, the first county seat, was home to a wooden courthouse, built in 1887. However, within a few months, the county seat was moved four miles, to the town of Henry, which was soon renamed Childress, and a second courthouse was constructed in 1890-91. Soon after it opened, the courthouse burned, on October 21, 1891. The "new" 1891 courthouse was constructed on the foundation of the original courthouse by Lovell, Miller & Hood, Contractor, based on the design of William Douglas, Architect. This courthouse was demolished to make way for the current courthouse, built in 1939.
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
Childress County Courthouse 1939
Townes & Funk, Architects. Photo of the south facade of the 1939 courthouse, courtesy of TXDOT
The west end of the courthouse's southern porch, the main entrance of the building
The front of the courthouse faces south and slightly west, on Avenue E
The main facade features four rather stubby, abstracted columns. I presume the two dates above the porch (1891 & 1939) refer to the two Childress County courthouses constructed on this square to date
View of Avenue E from the courthouse porch
The front of the courthouse. The fourth floor houses a county jail, directly above the district courtroom
Another view of the courthouse's front porch
View of the courthouse from the southwest
The west facade of the courthouse, on Commerce Street
A large tile American flag on the north side of the courthouse
The north entrance to the courthouse
Detail of the north entrance
"The Womans Department Club" building is on the south side of the courthouse square
View looking south on Main Street, towards the railroad
The Palace Theatre on Main Street
