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Wise County
Courthouse
County seat - Decatur,
Texas
Text and photos
by Sam Fenstermacher
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County
- Wise
County Seat - Decatur
County Population (2000) 48,793
County Courthouse
Constructed 1897
Architect J. Riely Gordon
Designation National Register Listing - 1976
Texas Historic Landmark - 1963 |
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Wise County
History
The first known
inhabitants of Wise County were probably Wichita Indians. When the
Coronado expedition came through the area of present Decatur in 1540,
there were several Indian villages between the Trinity and Red rivers.
The history of white settlement in Wise County began with Sam Woody
who moved to Deep Creek in 1854, and his original log cab remains
as a historic site today in what is now Cooke County.
Wise County was officially established by The Texas Legislature on
January 23, 1856 with land drawn mostly from Cooke County, and was
named in honor of Henry A. Wise, a United States Congressman from
Virginia who had supported the annexation of Texas. The location of
the county seat of Wise County was selected by a county election and,
although the town was originally named Taylorsville early town pioneer
Colonel Absolam Bishop petitioned to change the town's name to Decatur
after becoming disappointed with President Zachary Taylor. Decatur
remains the seat of Wise County government to the present. |
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Wise
County Courthouse today
Photo courtesy Sam Fenstermacher, March, 2004 |
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The courthouse as it appeared in 1940
Photo Courtesy of TXDoT |
The Courthouse
The present courthouse
is the forth constructed in the county. The third courthouse was destroyed
by fire on January 8, 1895. The burning of the third courthouse set
off a controversy over the location of the county seat. An election
was held in November of 1895 to see if the new courthouse should be
constructed at a new location. Voters confirmed by a wide margin that
Decatur was to remain the county seat.
Plans for a courthouse were accepted from several architects, but
on May 10, 1895 the contract was awarded to San Antonio architect
J. Riely Gordon who agreed to also superintend the project for a fee
of 5% of construction cost. The contract for construction was awarded
to J.A. White who had the lowest bid of $95,000. Construction was
to begin before June 1, 1895. In January of 1897, the building was
completed and received by the commissioners court for a cost of about
$110,000.
The Wise County Courthouse is one of several designed by architect
J. Riely Gordon in Texas in the last years of the nineteenth century.
This courthouse is often compared to the Ellis
County Courthouse in Waxahachie Texas. Like that building, the
Wise County Courthouse is based on the cruciform plan and the Romanesque
Revival architectural style which were both used with great success
by J. Riely Gordon in Texas.
Decatur
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Materials
used on the courthouse exterior include Texas granite in two colors
and terra cotta used extensively in the friezes, turrets and dormers.
Marble wainscots, stone flooring of contrasting color tiles, and oak
doors and trim accent the interior. A winding cast iron staircase
in the building's center provides access to the upper floors. Good
natural ventilation and lighting are provided by a glass skylight.
The interior of the Wise County Courthouse was remodeled in 1960,
but the exterior of the building still retains most of its original
details. The building's exterior was sandblasted several years ago
in an effort to clean it up and modern plate glass windows and entrance
doors were installed. These minor changes while not in keeping with
the history of the building do little to detract from this charming
old courthouse and the surrounding town square. Anyone who's a fan
of old Texas county courthouses or the architectural works of J. Riely
Gordon should certainly consider a trip to come and see this grand
old building.
Decatur
Hotels
Book Your Hotel Here &
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More
Information
Wise
County on the Web - http://www.wisecounty.com/
Bibliography:
"WISE COUNTY."http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/
The Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/WW/hcw14.html,
2004.
Texas Historical Commission, Texas Historic Sites Atlas., 2003.
Copyright © 2004 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved
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