245 of 254 Lipscomb County Courthouse, Lipscomb, Texas. County Population: 3,302
Lipscomb County, Texas
"Lipscomb County, in the far northeastern corner of the Panhandle, is bounded on the north and east by Oklahoma, on the south by Hemphill County, and on the west by Ochiltree County. It is in the rolling plains part of the Panhandle, east of the Texas High Plains. The central and southern part of the county are either rolling plains or very broken country. The northern section is flat or slightly rolling. Oil and gas reserves are found in the county. The elevation ranges from 2,350 feet to 2,850 feet above sea level.
"Lipscomb County was formed by the Texas legislature in 1876 from the Bexar District. The county, named for Abner S. Lipscomb, embraces 934 square miles of level, rolling, and broken countryside.
"The first town in the county, Lipscomb, was platted in 1887 in anticipation of the arrival of the railroad. When it was learned that the railroad would miss the site, local residents decided to protect their town by making it the county seat. As a result, the populace voted to organize the county in June of 1887 with Lipscomb as the county seat. When the railroad entered the county later in the year, land promoters laid out Higgins on the right-of-way. Higgins soon grew into the county's largest town and trade center, but Lipscomb remained the county seat. The construction of a second railroad, the North Texas and Santa Fe, through the county brought more settlers. This railroad, which ran from Shattuck, Oklahoma, to Spearman, Texas, crossed into northern Lipscomb County by 1920 and engendered the farming towns of Follett and Darrouzett in 1917; another town, Booker, was established on the line in 1919."
Handbook of Texas Online, Donald R. Abbe, "Lipscomb County"
I visited Lipscomb County and photographed the courthouse in Lipscomb on May 7, 2016.
"Lipscomb County was formed by the Texas legislature in 1876 from the Bexar District. The county, named for Abner S. Lipscomb, embraces 934 square miles of level, rolling, and broken countryside.
"The first town in the county, Lipscomb, was platted in 1887 in anticipation of the arrival of the railroad. When it was learned that the railroad would miss the site, local residents decided to protect their town by making it the county seat. As a result, the populace voted to organize the county in June of 1887 with Lipscomb as the county seat. When the railroad entered the county later in the year, land promoters laid out Higgins on the right-of-way. Higgins soon grew into the county's largest town and trade center, but Lipscomb remained the county seat. The construction of a second railroad, the North Texas and Santa Fe, through the county brought more settlers. This railroad, which ran from Shattuck, Oklahoma, to Spearman, Texas, crossed into northern Lipscomb County by 1920 and engendered the farming towns of Follett and Darrouzett in 1917; another town, Booker, was established on the line in 1919."
Handbook of Texas Online, Donald R. Abbe, "Lipscomb County"
I visited Lipscomb County and photographed the courthouse in Lipscomb on May 7, 2016.
Looking north on Texas 305. The community of Lipscomb (population 44) is among the trees in the shallow valley
Texas 305 runs north-south along the west side of Lipscomb. The courthouse square visible in this aerial photo
Lipscomb County Courthouse 1916
Photograph courtesy of TXDOT, circa 1933. The courthouse was designed and built by the W. M. Rice company of Amarillo
The courthouse, celebrating its 100th year in 2016, is in the center of the square. A newer sheriff's office and jail in in the southeast corner of the square
The west facade, viewed from a distance
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The courthouse, at 100 years, is in need of restoration
View, looking west, from the courthouse steps
The north side of the square is lined with mature trees
The northwest corner of the building
The north facade
View from the north side of the courthouse
The northeast corner of the building. The law enforcement buildings are on the right
The east facade. The building has an east-west axis
View from the east courthouse steps
The south facade has been altered with the addition of an elevator shaft
The entrance to the elevator at ground level
An "add-on" shed on the southwest corner of the building
View of the courthouse from the southwest
Texas 305 ends a mile or two south of the Oklahoma border in Lipscomb County
The largest town in the county is Darrouzett
Looking west on Texas 15, near Booker. The sky's the limit here