Callahan County Courthouse
Baird, Callahan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The county seat moved from Belle Plain to Baird in 1883, and a courthouse, designed by noted architect F.E. Ruffini, was built at this site. The county hired another noted architect, J. Riely Gordon, in 1900 for a larger courthouse; J.E. Flanders was the supervising architect. In 1928, the growing county hired Voelcker & Dixon Architects & Engineers of Wichita Falls, who designed this Classical Revival courthouse, completed the next year. Suggs and Dunlap contractors constructed the building, which features intricate detailing, including acanthus leaves, rosettes, medallions and cartouches. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Callahan County seat moved from Belle Plain to Baird in 1883, a succession of noted architects left their mark here — F.E. Ruffini on the first courthouse, J. Riely Gordon on a larger 1900 building, and finally Voelcker & Dixon on the Classical Revival courthouse completed in 1929. Adorned with acanthus leaves, rosettes, medallions, and cartouches, the current building was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2003.
Why it matters
County courthouses were the proud civic centerpieces of Texas towns, and Baird's evolving succession of them charts the ambition and growth of a maturing West Texas county.
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Related people
- · F.E. Ruffini
- · J. Riely Gordon
- · J.E. Flanders
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Ross Cemetery
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