I haven't yet visited Linden, the county seat of Cass County, Texas, but it's on my radar already.  According to the National Register listing narrative, "The Classical Revival Cass County Courthouse, prominently located on the public
square in Linden, is the oldest continuously used courthouse in Texas. ... The original brick structure, built in 1859-60 is encased on two sides by additions occurring cast the turn of the century, in 1917, and following a fire in 1933."

The National Register listing narrative continues, "The enlisting three-story, Neo Classical Revival style courthouse is the result of the ca. 1900 remodeling. The seven-bay longitudinal elevation is basically a central pavilion with almost symmetrical wing featuring a prominent, three-bay, two-story pedimented entry portico. Columns are Roman Doric. The pediment has a semi-circular fan window with lights. A red tile, hip roof with a deck (no railing) prominently caps the structure."
Here's a portion of the Cass County Conservancy's grant application to the Texas Historical Commission for restoration funding. 
"Although the courthouse began life as a Greek Revival structure, it was not until 1917 that the building received the enlarged porticoes on north and south and some of the other high-style Doric elements it bears to this day. In 1917 and 1933, Stewart Moore and Fred Halsey, a collaborative team of designer-engineers then working in Texarkana, guided enlargements to the building. After a devastating fire in 1933 gutted the upper middle of the building, Halsey returned to design and install a robust steel and concrete truss system -- an impressive structural feature which served to stabilize the courthouse. As of today, the building's historic 1934 fabric remains intact and
fully recoverable, and our grant application to the Texas Historical Commission seeks full restoration to the courthouse design of 1934."
Good news followed.  "As one of 47 grant applications to THC in November 2007 requesting Round V funding, Cass County was awarded a $4,404,765 grant toward the nearly $5.2 million project. Cass County Judge Charles McMichael was notified by THC that the county received the full amount requested in its application for funds for the restoration of the courthouse. ... The restoration of the Cass County Courthouse will begin in 2009 upon completion
of the new county annex being constructed on Texas Highway 8 in Linden.  The annex will house courthouse staff and other county offices during the estimated three year renovation of Texas’ oldest operating courthouse."
The grant was approved and design was followed by construction, beginning in 2009.  The 5.2 million dollar project is now complete.  Rededication took place a week ago, on February 18, 2012.  Point of interest:  the dedication ceremony featured a keynote address by none other than Cass County's hometown celebrity, Don Henley.  (google him if you don't know who he is)
 I intend to visit Cass County this year, during a swing through northeast Texas.  Perhaps I'll meet Don...

Nolan County (Sweetwater) is home to one of my top three "truly offensive" Texas courthouses.  This 1970's abstract monolith is wrong on so many levels.  It completely ignores the historic buildings surrounding the courthouse square in Sweetwater, and is about as inapporpriate a civic building as I've seen to date in Texas.  Regular readers of this blog will recall that the granite panels on the exterior of the courthouse have begun falling off of the building.  (12/04/2011)
In an article dated January 25, 2012, the Sweetwater Reporter states "Nolan County Commissioners announced their selection of an architect for the new county jail and courthouse improvements during their meeting on Monday morning, Jan. 23, 2012.  Chosen for the project was the Wiginton Hooker Jeffry Architect[s] firm, a Dallas-based company."  According to its website "Wiginton Hooker Jeffry Architects specializes in the design of public facilities
and has an impressive client list of Municipalities and Counties across the country."  Furthermore "Architecture is part of the public domain. Good architecture serves and enriches the lives of the people that move through and work in the spaces it creates. From its very inception in 1978, Wiginton Hooker Jeffry Architects has built in the public domain, and has placed service to its Clients as its primary focus."  Sounds like they have the experience to handle this project.  I sincerely hope the WHJA can truly "improve" the Nolan County courthouse. 
By the way, WHJA's website also includes a new county courts building for Wise County.  Here's a rendering:

On their website I also learned that WHJA designed the 2006 Bell County Courts Building, which I'll be visiting and photographing this year when I'm in Belton.
Lastly, the WHJA website also includes the Upshur County Courts building but locates it in Port Lavaca, Texas.
My Texas map has Port Lavaca in Calhoun County and indicates Gilmer is the seat of Upshur County so I don't know which part of the WHJA indentification is incorrect, but I'll contact their office and find out.

Brantley Hightower noted recently in his Courthouses of Central Texas Blog and the San Antonio Express-News reports that the Texas Historical Commission "has awarded Bexar County a $2.5 million grant to support the county's decade-old dream of demolishing modern additions to the 1890s Bexar  County Courthouse.  'We're really happy to get it. ... There were a lot of requests for it,' said County Judge Nelson  Wolff, one of many Texas county judges who appeared before the commission in  Austin to plea for courthouse restoration funds.  'It is clearly the most outstanding eyesore on a historic courthouse anywhere in Texas,” Wolff said, referring to the so-called Gondeck Additions."
The article goes on to acknowledge that "Although the additions, which were intended to be temporary, answered critical space shortages decades ago, they are now deemed aesthetically incompatible with the original building. They're also separating from the courthouse, requiring repairs and raising safety concerns."
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Eyesore-closer-to-coming-down-2879025.php#ixzz1mD8khEVV
This is indeed welcome news and a commendable use of the THC's grant program funds.

On the otherhand, news from the Texas panhandle wasn't so good.  The Amarillo Globe News reported that "Three Texas Panhandle counties failed to get some of $21 million in courthouse restoration grants awarded Friday by the Texas Historical Commission."  Apparently "Armstrong, Gray and Lipscomb counties each applied for the funds but did not earn a share of the pot."
For the record, "Grant awards were announced January 27, 2012 at the THC's quarterly commission meeting. Based on high overall ranking, seven construction and six emergency projects were awarded."
The seven counties receiving regular construction grants were Colorado, Franklin, Hardeman, Edwards, Bexar, Navarro, and Throckmorton.
The six counties receiving emergency grants were Mason, Marion, San Saba, Upshur, Cameron, and Polk.
The Amarillo newspaper article includes this information, “ 'We got 40 applications requesting more than $158 million, and we roughly have just $20 million (to give out),' said commission spokeswoman Debbi Head. 'Do the math, and you can see that there’s a great need.' ”

1.  To the best of my knowlege and belief, only two counties in Texas have ever hosted a Super Bowl:  Harris and Tarrant Counties.  It's happened three times.  The first time was 1974 and the venue was at my college, Rice University Stadium ( constructed in 1950).  Minnesota and Miami played and the Dolphins won 24-7.  Not that I was actually at the game.  Couldn't afford a ticket!  Rice and Stanford are only two universities to host a Super Bowl, by the way.  We, or rather I should say, they, are in good company.  Go Rice Owls!  The second Super Bowl held in Harris County was in 2004, at Houston's Reliant Stadium.  Finally, the 2011 Super Bowl was played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tarrant County.  Sorry about that, Dallas County.
2.   I've been working on the county pages.  Brown County, number 57 on my list, is now "complete" (with Blue Bell ice cream at Underwood's Cafeteria, too).  With the cavet that no page on this website is ever truly finished.  That's one of the attributes of a website; it can be revised, supplemented, and otherwise tweaked forever.  Each time I log on to edit I find something to change.  For example, while assembling the Brown County page today I realized, based on my photograph of the cornerstone, that the current courthouse had been designed by the prolific San Antonio architect, Henry T. Phelps.  So, I once again revised my page devoted to the work of Phelps and added a 15th Texas courthouse to his list.  And, as I continue my tour of Texas, there could very well be more.  What's interesting is that the Texas Historical Commission doesn't list Phelps as the Brown County courthouse; nor does the TexasEscapes listing of courthouses by architect.
3.  Now I'm going to watch the game.