Sherman County, Texas
"Sherman County is in the High Plains region of the northern Panhandle on the Oklahoma border. The county, named for Sidney Sherman, a veteran of the Texas Revolution, extends across 923 square miles of nearly level land covered by prairie grasses, some sagebrush, and yucca; elevations range from 3,200 to 3,800 feet above sea level. Two railroad lines, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the Southern Pacific, pass through the county and intersect at Stratford.
"In 1876 the Texas state legislature established Sherman County from lands formerly assigned to Bexar County. The area was attached to Oldham County for administrative purposes until 1889.
"The county was organized in 1889. Coldwater, a small settlement founded by the Loomis family near the center of the county, was designated the county seat by 1890. According to the United States census, there were thirty-four people living in Sherman County in 1890. A small rock courthouse was built at Coldwater in 1891.
"Efforts to move the county seat to a site on the railroad began before the tracks were laid. Walter Colton, who owned a section of land on the line, formed a partnership with C. F. Rudolph to form a townsite (called Stratford) and to make it the new county seat. Their hopes were realized in an election held in May 1901, when voters chose to move the local government to Stratford."
Handbook of Texas Online, Selma Pendleton, "Sherman County"
I visited Sherman County and photographed the courthouse at Stratford on May 9, 2016.
"In 1876 the Texas state legislature established Sherman County from lands formerly assigned to Bexar County. The area was attached to Oldham County for administrative purposes until 1889.
"The county was organized in 1889. Coldwater, a small settlement founded by the Loomis family near the center of the county, was designated the county seat by 1890. According to the United States census, there were thirty-four people living in Sherman County in 1890. A small rock courthouse was built at Coldwater in 1891.
"Efforts to move the county seat to a site on the railroad began before the tracks were laid. Walter Colton, who owned a section of land on the line, formed a partnership with C. F. Rudolph to form a townsite (called Stratford) and to make it the new county seat. Their hopes were realized in an election held in May 1901, when voters chose to move the local government to Stratford."
Handbook of Texas Online, Selma Pendleton, "Sherman County"
I visited Sherman County and photographed the courthouse at Stratford on May 9, 2016.
The orientation of the Stratford street grid was aligned with the crossing the Rock Island (southwest to northeast) and Santa Fe (southeast to northwest) Railways.
Sherman County Courthouse 1901
Architect: H.W. White. Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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The courthouse burned in 1922. Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
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Sherman County Courthouse 1922
Architect: Parker & Rittenberry. Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com
The front of the courthouse faces southeast, on N. 3rd Street. This view illustrates the additions on the northwest and northeast sides of the original building.
The front facade of the courthouse. All of the original windows/doors have been replaced. Note that the original iron railings on the second floor windows were removed, too.
The front of the courthouse.
View from the courthouse steps to N. 3rd Street. I don't know what purpose the continuous railing in the center of the sidewalk serves.
The southwest corner of the courthouse.
The courthouse lawn, viewed from the southwest.
The cornerstone is on the southwest corner of the building.
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The front facade viewed from the southwest.
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The southwest facade of the building faces N. Fulton Street.
Another view of the southwest facade. A one-story addition can be seen on the left.
The back of the courthouse is on N 4th Street.
The sheriff's office and jail are on the northeast side of the original courthouse.
The northeast facade of the courthouse is on N. Wall Street. The addition is set a half-level below grade to align with the original building's basement.
The view of the courthouse from the east.
The first floor corridor looking northeast.
The 69th District Courtroom.
From a photograph in the Sheriff's office: January 1938. FBI agents present the Sherman County Sheriff with a Thompson submachine gun.
The corner of N. 3rd and N. Main Streets in downtown Stratford.
A cattle feedlot in Sherman County.
