No Historic Courthouse in Jefferson County

There have been programs on public television and magazine articles written about the historic Texas courthouses. I live in Jefferson County, Texas, and wondered why we had such an ugly courthouse. It appears to have been built in the 1930's when art nouveau was the rage. Other counties have beautiful courthouses from the Victorian era that look like castles and are putting a great deal of effort into restoring and preserving them. It has become a popular tourist activity to tour the old courthouses. Believe me nobody is clamoring for tours of the Jefferson County Courthouse.


During my last visit to the Spindletop Museum I spotted a picture on the wall of the Jefferson County Courthouse taken at the turn of the last century. Jefferson County did have a beautiful courthouse, but it must have fallen victim to the wrecking ball when the county had too much oil money to spend.