Cass County Courthouse

Cass County Courthouse. . Dating from before the Civil War, this is Texas oldest courthouse in active service. Plans to build the courthouse were adopted in September 1859, with contracts finalized in December. Enslaved workmen under J.T. Veal dug clay, and hand-formed and burned more than 400,000 bricks on the nearby branch. The older frame courthouse was removed from the square, and in early 1861 master builder L.W. Lissenbee began work on the massive interior chimneys and 31-1/2-inch-thick foundation walls. Final work was ordered paid on July 1, 1861. Meanwhile, Texas had seceded, and the courthouse gained national significance as the distribution point for war provisions to county volunteers. Citizens were called to bring in personal firearms, and a special county war tax paid for gun repair and reissue to volunteers who lacked better weaponry., In 1905, a 20-foot east wing was added. After a 1908 tornado, an octagonal cupola sat atop the roof until 1917, when skilled architect Stewart Moore gave the building classical porticoes, a rhythmic frieze of triglyphs and metopes, dual steel staircase wings, tile roof and calcimine facade. In 1933, fire gutted the upstairs courtroom as citizens mobilized to save county records. Using 1934 Public Works Administration (PWA) funds, repairs by Moore's colleague, Fred Halsey, included a third-floor expansion under a robust roof truss, from which the courtroom ceiling and coving are suspended. The 2012 full restoration respects the designs of 1917-18 and 1934, honors the building's heritage, and continues its long tradition as centerpiece of the community. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967.