San Augustine County Courthouse
San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
San Augustine County Courthouse When the town of San Augustine was platted in 1834, this property was reserved for the public square, but it was another 20 years before the first courthouse was constructed here. San Augustine was one of the 23 original counties established after Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836. Early courts were held in the Mansion Hotel, and by 1840 the county government operated out of the federal custom house. In 1854, San Augustine County built its first courthouse on the public square. The subsequent courthouse, an 1890 Italianate structure, was razed to make room for the current building. Completed in 1927, the third San Augustine County Courthouse is constructed of Texas lueders stone. It is symmetrical in plan with a prominent central entry bay and exhibits influences of the Classical Revival style of architecture. The County Commissioners Court, with county judge Ed Kennon presiding, selected East Texas architect Shirley Simons as the designer and the firm of Campbell and White as the builders. Over the years, the square has been a gathering place for community and county events. Monuments placed on the grounds include a bronze statue of James Pinckney Henderson, first governor of the state of Texas and a resident of San Augustine; and a veterans memorial erected in 1951. The 1927 courthouse stands as a center of politics and government for the people of San Augustine County and an important part of the city's 20th-century architectural heritage. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When surveyors platted San Augustine in 1834 they set aside this square for public use, though it took twenty years and one of the 23 original counties of the new Republic of Texas before a courthouse rose here. Early judges convened in a hotel and a customs house until the first courthouse of 1854; an 1890 Italianate building followed, and in 1927 the present Classical Revival structure of Texas Lueders stone took its place. Its grounds hold a statue of James Pinckney Henderson, the state's first governor and a San Augustine man.
Why it matters
As the civic anchor of one of Texas's original counties, the courthouse square marks where the frontier Republic organized itself into lasting local government.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · James Pinckney Henderson
- · Shirley Simons
- · Ed Kennon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
James Pinckney Henderson
San Augustine, TX
A North Carolina lawyer who arrived in Texas in 1836 leading a company of volunteers, James Pinckney Henderson swiftly became one of the young Republic's leading statesmen, serving as attorney general, secretary of state, and diplomat to Europe. When Texas joined the Union, voters chose him as the state's first governor in 1846. He then led Texas troops as a major general in the Mexican War, earning a formal vote of thanks and a sword from Congress, before a late turn as U.S. senator.
Old Hollis Building
San Augustine, TX
I. H. Hollis put up this building in 1889 on a site with deep San Augustine roots, where the imposing "Yellow House" of merchant John P. Border had once stood and where K. L. Anderson, the last vice president of the Republic of Texas, had kept an office. The structure notably survived the great fire that swept the town in 1890. Over the years it sheltered a long succession of businesses, including the post office in 1911.
Sam Houston in San Augustine
San Augustine, TX
Sam Houston made San Augustine his own for three decades, opening a law practice on this site and using 'The Redlands' as a base for business, residence, and refuge. He is said to have recovered here from the Battle of San Jacinto and issued his battle report from the town; after his presidency of the Republic, its voters sent him to the Texas House. His divorce, his marriage to Margaret Lea, and much of his personal drama unfolded amid a community that championed him early.
Site of the "Red Lander" Office
San Augustine, TX
Among the most influential newspapers of the Republic of Texas, the "Red Lander" began when W. W. Parker bought the equipment of Galveston's "Texas Chronicle" and brought it to San Augustine in 1837. On its staff was John S. "Rip" Ford, later celebrated as a Texas Ranger and Confederate officer. Alanson W. Canfield bought the paper in 1840 and published a widely circulated weekly until 1853; as rival papers in other cities rose in prestige, the "Red Lander" finally ceased in 1861.