237 of 254 Floyd County Courthouse, Floydada, Texas. County Population: 6,446
Floyd County, Texas
"Floyd County is on U.S. Highway 70 northeast of Lubbock in the High Plains region of the Panhandle. The county is bordered on the north by Swisher and Briscoe counties, on the east by Motley County, on the south by Crosby County, and on the west by Hale County. Floyd County covers 992 square miles. The mostly flat land is broken on the east by the Caprock and Rolling Plains and on the south by the White River and Blanco Canyon. The elevation ranges from 2,600 to 3,300 feet.
"On August 21, 1876, the Texas legislature formed Floyd County, named for the Alamo martyr Dolphin Ward Floyd, as one of the fifty-four counties established from the Bexar and Young territories. In 1884 Arthur B. Duncan and his family became the county's first settlers when they located in Blanco Canyon a short distance above Henry Clay (Hank) Smith's ranch in Crosby County.
"The move to organize Floyd County produced heated rivalry among its developing communities for the honor of being the county seat. Lockney, which became Della Plain's chief rival, was founded in 1889. In the spring of 1890 J. K. Gwynn appeared on the scene as a representative of Carolina V. Price, a Missouri native who owned numerous patented sections in Floyd County. Gwynn had one of the prize sections platted as Floyd City, another candidate for county seat. Lockney combined with Floyd City, and in the organization election on May 28, 1890, Floyd City won by a vote of 55 to 33. Floyd City was renamed Floydada in 1892."
H. Allen Anderson and Christopher Long, "FLOYD COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"On August 21, 1876, the Texas legislature formed Floyd County, named for the Alamo martyr Dolphin Ward Floyd, as one of the fifty-four counties established from the Bexar and Young territories. In 1884 Arthur B. Duncan and his family became the county's first settlers when they located in Blanco Canyon a short distance above Henry Clay (Hank) Smith's ranch in Crosby County.
"The move to organize Floyd County produced heated rivalry among its developing communities for the honor of being the county seat. Lockney, which became Della Plain's chief rival, was founded in 1889. In the spring of 1890 J. K. Gwynn appeared on the scene as a representative of Carolina V. Price, a Missouri native who owned numerous patented sections in Floyd County. Gwynn had one of the prize sections platted as Floyd City, another candidate for county seat. Lockney combined with Floyd City, and in the organization election on May 28, 1890, Floyd City won by a vote of 55 to 33. Floyd City was renamed Floydada in 1892."
H. Allen Anderson and Christopher Long, "FLOYD COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Floyd County and photographed the courthouse in Floydada on Wednesday, July 15, 2015.
Floyd County Courthouse 1911
Photo, circa 1939, courtesy of TXDOT
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Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Designed by Leslie L. Thurman, this neo-classical building was undergoing repairs in 1949 when it burned and was subsequently demolished.
Floyd County Courthouse 1950
The Floyd County Courthouse square in Floyada. The current courthouse was constructed to replace the 1911 courthouse, after it was destroyed by fire.
The front of the courthouse faces west, on Main Street
The front doors
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View of Main Street from the front porch
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View of the front facade from the southwest. Yes, that's a giant pumpkin
A large steel pavilion on the south side of the courthouse
The Floyd County Sheriff's Office on the southeast corner of the square
The Floyd County Jail is on the northeast corner of the square
The jail is at the corner of Missouri and Wall Streets
The courthouse cornerstone is on the northeast corner of the building. Oddly, it has no date
Closeup of the north side of the courthouse, now home to air conditioning equipment
The District courtroom on the second floor
View looking northwest from the corner of the square
These historic buildings are on the north side of the square, along Missouri Street
More historic buildings on Missouri Street, including Leonard's Cafe
Really, the elevator is not full!!
On the north side of town
Traveling south on State Highway 207 between Silverton and Floydada: wind turbines and crop dusters