239 of 254 Cottle County Courthouse, Paducah, Texas. County Population: 1,505
Cottle County, Texas
"Cottle County, in the rolling prairieland of Northwest Texas below the High Plains, is bordered on the north by Childress County, on the west by Motley County, on the south by King County, and on the east by Foard and Hardeman counties. Cottle County has an area of 900 square miles. The terrain is rough in the west and level in the east. Gray, black, sandy, and loam soils predominate. The county drains through the Pease, Tongue, and Little Wichita rivers. Elevations vary between 1,600 and 2,100 feet above sea level.
"The Texas legislature established Cottle County in 1876 and attached it for administrative purposes to Fannin County until 1887, when it became attached to Childress County. The county was named for George Cottle, who died at the Alamo.
"In the fifteen years between the county's inception and its formal organization, it remained largely a grazing area. Some cattle were apparently brought in from New Mexico, and ranches such as the OX, SMS, and Matador established their headquarters in the area. The census of 1880 showed only twenty-four persons living in Cottle County.
"Cottle County was organized in 1892, with Paducah as county seat. The population rose from 1,002 in 1900 to 4,396 in 1910, 6,901 in 1920, and 9,395 in 1930. This trend was reversed during the 1930s by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. By 1940, only 7,072 people remained. The county's population dropped to 6,099 by 1950, to 4,207 by 1960, to 3,204 by 1970, and 2,947 by 1980; in 1990 residents numbered 2,247."
John Leffler, "COTTLE COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
"The Texas legislature established Cottle County in 1876 and attached it for administrative purposes to Fannin County until 1887, when it became attached to Childress County. The county was named for George Cottle, who died at the Alamo.
"In the fifteen years between the county's inception and its formal organization, it remained largely a grazing area. Some cattle were apparently brought in from New Mexico, and ranches such as the OX, SMS, and Matador established their headquarters in the area. The census of 1880 showed only twenty-four persons living in Cottle County.
"Cottle County was organized in 1892, with Paducah as county seat. The population rose from 1,002 in 1900 to 4,396 in 1910, 6,901 in 1920, and 9,395 in 1930. This trend was reversed during the 1930s by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. By 1940, only 7,072 people remained. The county's population dropped to 6,099 by 1950, to 4,207 by 1960, to 3,204 by 1970, and 2,947 by 1980; in 1990 residents numbered 2,247."
John Leffler, "COTTLE COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
I visited Cottle County and photographed the courthouse in Paducah on Wednesday, July 15, 2015. In my opinion, the Cottle courthouse is one of the five best in Texas. This magnificent courthouse is largely original and unaltered. It's one of the finest courthouses in Texas that few people have ever seen. It occupies the center of a large square, surrounded by historic, and now mostly empty commercial buildings. Simply put, there aren't enough people in Cottle County to justify such a large courthouse. When it was constructed in 1930, the county population was 9,395. In the 2010 census the county counted only 1,505 citizens. The grand district courtroom on the top floor is unused. When court is in session, it now meets in a smaller room on the second floor.
Cottle County Courthouse 1893
Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
Cottle County Courthouse 1930
Photo courtesy of TXDOT
The Architects Voelcker & Dixon, of Wichita Falls, were responsible for this monumental work. This is the south facade, and the front of the building.
The southeast corner of the courthouse, at the corner of Richards and 8th Streets
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Looking west on Richards Street. This is the east side of the courthouse square
The northeast corner of the courthouse, at Backus and 8th Streets
The north facade of the courthouse, on Backus Street
The northwest corner of the courthouse, on Backus and 9th Streets
The west facade of the courthouse faces 9th Street, US Highway 62. Travel north on 62 and you'll soon arrive in Childress
The west facade of the third floor
The southwest corner of the courthouse, at the intersection of 9th and Richards Streets
The south facade
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The east-west corridor on the first floor
The now unused district courtroom on the top floor of the courthouse
The judge's "throne" in the district courtroom. Some of the furniture has been moved downstairs to the new, smaller courtroom
Decorative detailing in the courtroom
Abandoned hotel on the northeast corner of the square
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The facade of the former Palace Theater, now "daylighted"