This ugly elementary-school-style building replaced a cool native stone courthouse that was built in 1891.
Coke County is named for Richard Coke, 15th Governor of Texas and a Confederate Army veteran of the Civil War. A historic marker about Coke's like and accomplishments stands on the northwest corner of the courthouse grounds. It reads as follows:
"County named for Texas Confederate
Richard Coke
(1829-1896)
Virginia native. Leader Texas secession movement. Joined army, rose to captain 15th Texas Infantry company serving in Louisiana, Arkansas, chiefly Tennessee campaigns. Elected to state supreme court 1866, removed by Reconstruction military authorities. Defeated Governor E.J. Davis 1873. Bloodless controversy ensued, Davis retired under protest, marking political end Reconstruction in Texas. U.S. Senator 1877-1895.
A Memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy
Erected by the State of Texas 1963"
A second marker stands on the northeast corner of he grounds recalling the violent struggles that erupted here (and eventually spread throughout the state) at the close the the free-range era in Texas.
"FENCE CUTTING WAR
This area was a center of hostilities during 1880's conflict between landless cattlemen trying to keep use of free grass and open range and those erecting barbed wire fences to create permanent ranches. On L.B. Harris Ranch (3 miles west of here) posts and wire worth $6,000 were burned by anti-fence group during crisis.
War was brought on by severe drought in 1880's when men without land found best waterholes fenced in.
Many ranchmen owned or leased land they fenced, but some overambitious ones enclosed public lands, farms, and small ranches belonging to homesteaders recently arrived in Texas. Widespread resentment prevailed against these fencers, who, by blocking a road, had little regard for convenience of travelers.
When drought pushed landless cowmen to brink of financial ruin, violence was inevitable. They blamed barbed wire fences for their predicament. At first, cutting of fences that blocked roads or waterholes occurred, but soon all fences were threatened. Armed "Nippers" cut fences in almost every Texas county. Fence cutters were then viewed as outlaws rather than crusaders.
When laws were passed in Gov. John Ireland's administration to stop the war, Texas had suffered much damage to its property and reputation. (1967)"
From the Handbook of Texas Online, more Coke County history: (
visit link)
"COKE COUNTY. Coke County, in West Central Texas, is bounded on the east by Runnels County, on the south by Tom Green County, on the west by Sterling County, and on the north by Mitchell and Nolan counties. It was named for Richard Coke, a Texas governor. . . .
From about 1700 to the 1870s, Comanche Indians ranged the area that is now Coke County. They competed with the Tonkawa Indians to the east and the Lipans to the west for dominance of the Edwards Plateau and Colorado River valley.
In 1851 Fort Chadbourne, in the northeast part of the future county, was established by the United States Army to protect the frontier; the fort was manned until the Civil War. The Butterfield Overland Mail ran through the area from 1858 to 1861.
Between 1860 and the early 1880s the only settlers in what became Coke County were ranchers attracted to open grazing land. . . . In 1882 the Texas and Pacific Railway began providing service to San Angelo, and settlers started coming into the region in somewhat larger numbers. Severe drought in the 1880s led to fence cutting and its attendant quarreling, particularly on L. B. Harris's ranch: when landless cattlemen found that Harris had fenced in waterholes on the range, they destroyed $6,000 worth of his posts and wire. State authorities eventually settled the disputes.
The Texas legislature established Coke County in 1889, carving it out of territory previously assigned to Tom Green County; the county was organized that same year, with Hayrick as county seat. . . . In 1891, after an election, the new town of Robert Lee became the county seat; Robert E. Lee had once served at Fort Chadbourne.
In 1907, when the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway built tracks north out of San Angelo, the little towns of Tennyson, Bronte, and Fort Chadbourne lay near the line, and residents moved their business centers to enjoy the benefits of transportation. The county seat, Robert Lee, was not on the tracks, but managed to survive nonetheless.
In the first years of the twentieth century cotton culture expanded significantly. . . . Meanwhile, cattle ranching remained an important part of the economy. . . . .The momentum of this recovery was lost during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Cropland harvested in Coke County dropped more than 10 percent between 1930 and 1940, and . . . hundreds of people left.
Prospects for the local economy were greatly improved after 1942, however, when oil was discovered in the county. In November and December 1946, Sun Oil drilled the discovery well in the Jameson field in the northwest section of the county. Production rose steadily into the 1950s but then began to drop. . . . By 1991, since discovery in 1942, 209,281,131 barrels had been taken from Coke County lands. Tax money derived from oil profits helped the county to improve public services for its citizens. Modern schools were built in Bronte and Robert Lee; meanwhile, paving, road construction, and bridge improvements were made throughout the county. Oil money also helped to provide the county with a new courthouse, parks, and swimming pools.
. . . Oil production accounts for the major share of income for the county. Income derived from its production is several times more than the county's income from agriculture. . ."