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Eagle Pass in Maverick County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Maverick County Courthouse

 
 
Maverick County Courthouse Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 31, 2014
1. Maverick County Courthouse Marker
Inscription.
A landmark of the Texas-Mexico border area. Built 1884-85, during term of county Judge Thomas Lamb, on site chosen by citizens' committee, who donated $800 toward purchase of land from R.E. Moffit. Architects: Wahrenberger and Beckman, San Antonio. Contractor: A local builder, William Hausser (1847-1919). Courthouse and a jail were erected at total cost of $20,489.

This was site of celebrated Dick Duncan murder trial, 1889. Duncan, accused of killing four members of a San Saba family he was escorting to Mexico, was convicted on evidence gathered by Sheriff W.N. Cooke and Texas Rangers Ira Aten and John R. Hughes. He was sentenced to death by district Judge Winchester Kelso. Duncan appealed to state and federal courts and gained national notoriety, but was hanged in the county jail on September 18, 1891, in the only capital execution ever carried out by Maverick County.

Early jail was replaced in 1949. A fine example of Victorian design, with crenellation that suggests a fortress, the courthouse is a border structure with great architectural significance. The clock tower still holds its original E. Howard works and bell.

Marker dedicated in September 1971 to commemorate centennial of the organization of Maverick County.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1971

 
Erected
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1971 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 3261.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureLaw EnforcementNotable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
 
Location. 28° 42.521′ N, 100° 30.093′ W. Marker is in Eagle Pass, Texas, in Maverick County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (State Highway 240) and Madison Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street. Marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the southwest corner of the courthouse, facing East Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 Main Street, Eagle Pass TX 78852, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Eagle Pass C.S.A. (a few steps from this marker); Maverick County (a few steps from this marker); Eagle Pass Post Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Duncan (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Duncan (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Duncan Infantry Barracks (approx. half a mile away); Eagle Pass Coal Mines (approx. 3.2 miles away).
 
Regarding Maverick County Courthouse. National Register of Historic Places
Maverick County Courthouse Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 31, 2014
2. Maverick County Courthouse Marker
Marker is mounted between the windows at the southwest corner of the courthouse.
#80004141.
From the National Register Nomination:
Immediately after the county was organized, a house was rented for "court purposes." By 1878 a building containing a courtroom and jail, apparently of wood frame construction, was furnished. However, this soon proved inadequate. In 1884 county commissioners noted that a new courthouse was "imperative." Soon thereafter the plans of Wahrenberger and Beckman of San Antonio were accepted. The composition of the building is somewhat unusual for Texas. On the south facade, for example, the center section is dominant; walls flanking this were treated as a series of receding planes. This center mass actually expresses the form of the second-story courtroom and is a balanced self-contained composition. The wall is articulated by pilasters; at ground level, large arched openings are contained between these; in the center are triple-arched openings. Above, the arched theme is repeated, and circular windows accent the courtroom mass. The walls were built with bricks. Stringcourses girdled the building and an attractive ornamental parapet added to the charm of the structure. Openings were spanned with Roman arches which projected beyond the surface of the walls. On the exterior, the building retains most of its original detailing. In 1978 a new courthouse was completed on the westerly side of the town square, near the historic
Maverick County Courthouse (<i>southeast elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 31, 2014
3. Maverick County Courthouse (southeast elevation)
building.

 
Also see . . .
1. Maverick County Courthouse. Excerpt:
The architectural firm of Wahrenberger and Beckman designed the 1885 courthouse in the Romanesque Revival style with Second Empire influences. A rededication was held in October 2005.
(Submitted on December 13, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

2. Historic Photos of Maverick County Courthouse and Jail. Excerpt:
This photo of the Maverick County Courthouse and Jail illustrates a common story in Texas. Often the courthouse and jail were built at the same time and often they were the first buildings on a desolate landscape. Similar photos exist for El Paso and Marfa - where the buildings appear to be on the surface of the moon.
(Submitted on December 13, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

3. Images for Maverick County, Texas (CourthouseHistory.com). Historic images of the Maverick County Courthouse. (Submitted on December 13, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
Maverick County Courthouse Marker (<i>west elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 31, 2014
4. Maverick County Courthouse Marker (west elevation)
Maverick County Courthouse Marker (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 31, 2014
5. Maverick County Courthouse Marker (southwest elevation)
Marker is mounted between the windows near the left/southwest corner.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 349 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 13, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024