Red River County Courthouse - 100 Years - Clarksville, TX
N 33° 36.794 W 095° 03.071
15S E 309707 N 3721159
A plaque on the Red River Courthouse in Clarksville, Texas, commemorates the 100th anniversary of its construction.
Waymark Code: WM9XBX
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/10/2010
Views: 3
From the East Texas Historical Association website:
This is the third courthouse to serve Red River County. Built in 1885, with only one major addition in 1910, it is one of the ten oldest active county courthouses in the state. It is the only known, intact building designed by Texas architect William H. Wilson of Dallas. Stylistically, the building is Second Empire, with Baroque and Italianate elements. Three stories tall and stretching 110 feet high, it is principally constructed of pale yellow Honey Grove limestone with a wide metal cornice, mansard clock tower, and bell cupola. Elegant exterior detailing and the use of plain, but solid materials on the interior, mark it as a classic example of public architecture in the Victorian era. It is the principal landmark in the county and a favorite among fans of Texas courthouses.
The most impressive feature of the courthouse (besides its great height) was probably the tower clock, emplaced on May 27, 1885. The Howard Clock & Watch Co. of Boston made this massive object, with copper gears, dials more than eight feet wide, and a bell weighing 2,000 pounds. It took a janitor thirty minutes a day to wind.
The Red River County courthouse was one of the first to be restored via the Texas Historical Commission’s Courthouse Preservation Program. The most difficult task of restoration turned out to be the replacement of the cupola (110 feet in the air). Its wooden framing was 90 percent rotted, and it held a bell that could not be dismounted. With the bell, the cupola weighed 7,000 pounds. It stood atop a clock tower, whose base began about 50 feet above ground directly over the courtroom. Eventually, contractors put spreader bars inside the cupola and wrapped the outside in slings to keep it from collapsing as a crane lifted it off with the bell inside. The original cupola is now a gazebo on the courthouse grounds.
This is an active government building, open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., free of charge. For a formal tour or to request the use of the building after hours for a specific event, contact the office of the county judge. The courthouse is on Hwy. 37 (Cedar Street), three blocks north of Hwy. 82 (Main Street).
Awards: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (1966), National Register of Historic Places (1978), State Archeological Landmark (1981), Historic American Buildings Survey #TX-3456.