235 of 254 Hall County Courthouse, Memphis, Texas. County Population: 3,353
Hall County, Texas
"Hall County, in the southeastern Panhandle east of the High Plains, is bordered on the west by Briscoe County, on the south by Motley and Cottle counties, on the east by Childress County, and on the north by Donley and Collingsworth counties. The county comprises 885 square miles of rolling plains and broken terrain crossed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, the Little Red River, and numerous lesser tributaries. The elevation in Hall County ranges from 1,750 to 2,400 feet above sea level.
"In 1876 the Texas legislature formed Hall County from land formerly assigned to Bexar and Young Counties. It was named for Warren D. C. Hall, Republic of Texas secretary of war.
"The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway reached Hall County in 1887, and by March 1888 met the Denver, Texas and Gulf, which had been building southward from Denver to Texline. Thus, by the late 1880s Hall County found itself on a major regional railroad that eventually changed Hall County from a ranching to a farming area. Promotion by the road brought a small trickle of settlers in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The growing population led residents to debate county organization in 1889, and in April 1890 a petition of organization was circulated. In a hotly fought election on June 17, Salisbury, the county's oldest town and only railroad stop, fought with Lakeview, near the center of the county, and Memphis, a new town on the railroad, for the honor and economic benefits of being county seat. Memphis won the election and was named county seat on June 23."
Donald R. Abbe, "HALL COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"In 1876 the Texas legislature formed Hall County from land formerly assigned to Bexar and Young Counties. It was named for Warren D. C. Hall, Republic of Texas secretary of war.
"The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway reached Hall County in 1887, and by March 1888 met the Denver, Texas and Gulf, which had been building southward from Denver to Texline. Thus, by the late 1880s Hall County found itself on a major regional railroad that eventually changed Hall County from a ranching to a farming area. Promotion by the road brought a small trickle of settlers in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The growing population led residents to debate county organization in 1889, and in April 1890 a petition of organization was circulated. In a hotly fought election on June 17, Salisbury, the county's oldest town and only railroad stop, fought with Lakeview, near the center of the county, and Memphis, a new town on the railroad, for the honor and economic benefits of being county seat. Memphis won the election and was named county seat on June 23."
Donald R. Abbe, "HALL COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Hall County and photographed the courthouse in Memphis on Wednesday, July 15, 2015.
Northbound on US Highway 287, southeast of Memphis
Peanut storage in Memphis
Hall County Courthouse 1893
This Italianate styled masonry building was constructed by J. A. White. The original tower was shortened at some point, perhaps for structural reasons.
Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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A photo hanging in the Hall County District Courtroom
Hall County Courthouse 1923
The courthouse square is aligned with north, south, east, west points, although the railroad and US 287 cross Memphis on an angle
Photo courtesy of TXDOT
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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View west on Noel Street, approaching the courthouse square on the right
The courthouse is screened by mature trees. The east facade is visible in this view from the corner of Noel and S 5th Streets
The south facade, on Noel Street, is the front of the courthouse
The south facade. Windows throughout the building have been removed and the void closed
View across Noel Street from the front porch
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