The Courthouses of McLennan County
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In January 1850, the Texas Legislature created McLennan County from portions of Robertson and Milam counties, naming it for Neil McLennan, who had settled along the South Bosque River. In September of that year, the Commissioners Court began preparations for constructing a two-story log court building, which was completed in August 1851. During construction, county judge R.E.B. Baylor held court in a private schoolhouse. By 1856, the county needed a larger courthouse. In August, they levied taxes to raise funds for a brick building, and Robert H. Smith and N. M. Saunders served as contractors. Because of problems with the structure, including two fatalities due to faulty second floor doors, the county built a new courthouse and jail in the mid-1870s. Noted architect W.C. Dodson designed the structure, completed in July 1877 by builders J.W. Mann & Bro., and Trice & Harris. Dodson's design, a two-story brick building, featured a Mansard roof and clock tower, and was celebrated for its beauty. By 1900, however, it also became too small for the county's needs. Dodson recommended that the county accept the plans of James Riely Gordon, renowned throughout Texas and other parts of the nation for his courthouse designs. The Commissioners Court awarded the construction contract to Tom Lovell of Denton and accepted the finished building on March 3, 1902. One hundred years later, in September 2002, McLennan County residents celebrated the centennial of their fourth courts building, a magnificent Renaissance Revival courthouse crowned with statues of eagles as well as Themis, Justitia and Liberty. Today, the building remains an emblem of pride and justice, a link to the county's history and a symbol of its future. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
McLennan County was carved out of Robertson and Milam counties in 1850 and named for pioneer settler Neil McLennan, and its courthouses chart the county's rise. From a two-story log building of 1851, to a troubled 1856 brick structure, to W.C. Dodson's admired 1877 building with its mansard roof and clock tower, each outgrew Waco's ambitions in turn. The fourth, a Renaissance Revival landmark by noted architect James Riely Gordon crowned with statues of eagles and the figures of Justice and Liberty, was completed in 1902 and celebrated its centennial a hundred years later.
Why it matters
The succession of courthouses embodies a growing county's pride and its investment in public architecture, a story of civic ambition told in log, brick, and stone.
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Related people
- · Neil McLennan
- · R.E.B. Baylor
- · W.C. Dodson
- · James Riely Gordon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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