Anderson in Grimes County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Grimes County Courthouse

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

1. Grimes County Courthouse Marker

Inscription.
Unique Victorian Texas public building. Third courthouse here. Site, in an 1824 land grant from Mexico, was donated 1850 by Henry Fanthorp, first permanent settler in county.

Built 1891 of hand-molded brick with native stone trim. Vault is same one used in previous buildings; has twice withstood fires.

Tried here in 1930s, a Clyde Barrow gang member vowed he'd see court in infernal regions.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1965

Erected 1965 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 8585.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.

Location. 30° 29.322′ N, 95° 59.212′ W. Marker is in Anderson, Texas, in Grimes County. It is at the intersection of South Main Street (Loop State Highway 429) and West Buffington Avenue, on the left when traveling north on South Main Street. Mounted at left of main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 South Main Street, Anderson TX 77830, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Grimes County (a few steps from this marker); In Memory of Jesse Grimes and Mathew Caldwell (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial

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(a few steps from this marker); Grimes County, C.S.A. (within shouting distance of this marker); Rocky Creek Bridge (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Steinhagen Log Cabin (about 700 feet away); La Bahia Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fanthorp Inn (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anderson.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Anderson Baptist Church (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. Metal marker is somewhat weathered

Also see . . .
1. Grimes County Courthouse. Texas Historical Commission website entry:
The Italianate courthouse designed by F.S. Glover and Company and completed in 1894 features both brick and native stone. It incorporates the east wall and foundations of an earlier courthouse that was destroyed by fire. Restoration completed in 2002. (Submitted on December 25, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Sarah Randolph Bradley Dodson (1812–1848). Lacking silk or bunting, Sarah made the flag out of three colored squares of cotton cloth. The square nearest the flagstaff was blue with a white

Photographed by Unkown, 1939

2. Grimes County Courthouse Marker

star centered upon it. The middle square was white, and the outermost square was red. The flag was carried by the Harrisburg company to Gonzales, where an army of Texas colonists was assembling. Between October and December [1835] it went with the company through the battle of Concepción and the siege of Bexar, though it is unclear whether the flag was actually carried in battle. The flag was reportedly taken back to Harrisburg when the company returned home, and it is said to have flown over the building where the Convention of 1836 met and declared independence from Mexico. (Submitted on December 26, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Grimes County Courthouse Entrance(<i>marker visible on wall, left of door</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

3. Grimes County Courthouse Entrance(marker visible on wall, left of door)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>marker visible on wall, left of entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

4. Grimes County Courthouse (marker visible on wall, left of entrance)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>east side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

5. Grimes County Courthouse (east side)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>north side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

6. Grimes County Courthouse (north side)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>northwest corner</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

7. Grimes County Courthouse (northwest corner)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>west side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

8. Grimes County Courthouse (west side)

Grimes County Courthouse (<i>window detail</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

9. Grimes County Courthouse (window detail)

Sarah Bradley Dodson Memorial Plaque (<i>at base of courthouse flag pole</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 4, 2013

10. Sarah Bradley Dodson Memorial Plaque (at base of courthouse flag pole)

This flag flown in memory
of
Sarah Bradley Dodson
who made the first
Texas Flag
September 15, 1835
She is buried near Bedias
Grimes County, Texas

Suber-Hadley Chapter
Daughters of Republic of Texas
1972

Grimes County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Texas Department of Transportation (TXDoT), circa 1920/1930

11. Grimes County Courthouse

Grimes County Courthouse 100 Main Street Anderson, Texas Late 1920s-early 1930s

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 920 times since then and 43 times this year. Last updated on September 14, 2025, by Michael Roop of College Station, Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on December 24, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on September 5, 2025, by Michael Roop of College Station, Texas. 3, 4. submitted on December 24, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5, 6, 7. submitted on December 25, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 8, 9, 10. submitted on December 26, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 11. submitted on August 26, 2025, by Michael Roop of College Station, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.