Former Municipal Courthouse - Humble, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Raven
N 29° 59.876 W 095° 15.852
15R E 281589 N 3320714
Built in 1928, this scantily-documented building in the historic district of Humble, Texas served as the city's courthouse for 60 years. It now houses the "Green Oaks Tavern", a popular local bar.
Waymark Code: WMXJP8
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Sneakin Deacon
Views: 6

Constructed in 1928, The Humble City Courthouse served as both the courtroom and jail of this small town just north of Houston, Texas until a new Municipal courthouse was built in the mid-80's just a few block further West of this location (at 315 N Bender Ave). It also served as the fire department and the county library for a couple of years before ultimately being sold to private investors. The building currently houses the "Green Oaks Tavern" (previously the "Twin Oaks Tavern", a popular local bar named for two majestic trees that weave a leafy canopy over the walkway.

Unfortunately very little -- if any! -- information is available online for this historic building. Below is an excerpt of the city of Humble's history, per its own municipal website:

The first settlers began moving into the Humble area in the early 1800’s. Joseph Dunman was thought to be the first settle here and was believed to have arrived in 1828. Pleasant Smith Humble, known as “Plez,” arrived to the area just before the Civil War. Pleasant Humble acquired land along the San Jacinto River and he soon began operating a ferry near the area where Highway 59 crosses the river today. Mr. Humble also served as justice of the peace for the area. In 1886, Pleasant Humble opened a post office in his home and the Humble name was adopted.

The Humble area soon became a center for commercial activity because of the vast timber in the region. C. O. Bender built a large sawmill and Humble became a crossroads for transporting lumber. Bender purchased the town site and established a commissary where workers traded tokens for merchandise. The early town had two hotels, two general stores, a church and a school.

Shallow oil production began in 1902 with a big oil gusher occurring in 1904. Humble became a tent city, overflowing with people as well as oil. Oil discoveries continued to mount. By 1905 the Humble oil field was the largest producing field in Texas. The Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon Co. USA) was formed by local entrepreneurs.

As oil production began to decline, many land owners returned to truck farming, dairy farming and lumbering. In 1933, the town of Humble was incorporated. It remained a rather small quiet city until the opening of the Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969. In addition, many residential areas began to develop outside the City limits such as Atascocita, Kingwood, and Forest Cove. To meet growing consumer needs, Humble became home to some of the finest business and retail facilities in the area and is now considered the commercial, economic and social hub for Northeast Harris County. The City of Humble is home to a state-of-the-art hospital, quality schools, a spacious mall, a civic center and covered picnic area. City services are provided by well-trained and dedicated employees who supply and maintain the infrastructure for the community.
Year Built: 1928

Current Use of Building: Commercial Establishment ("Green Oaks Tavern")

Level of Courts: Municipal

Dates this building was used to house judicial proceedings: 1928-1986

Physical Address:
211 E Main St. Humble, TX 77338 USA


Hours:
Monday: Closed Tue-Thu: 4PM–12AM Fri-Sat: 4PM–2AM Sunday: 4–10PM


Architect: Not listed

Related Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
At least one original photograph should be added to the gallery. And please describe your impressions and visit to the courthouse.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Courthouses
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
bro.bobby70 visited Former Municipal Courthouse - Humble, TX 01/09/2021 bro.bobby70 visited it
msbbop visited Former Municipal Courthouse - Humble, TX 10/23/2018 msbbop visited it
Raven visited Former Municipal Courthouse - Humble, TX 11/19/2017 Raven visited it

View all visits/logs