They usually featured a statue of the goddess of liberty or justice, with a symbolic scale or sword in hand, placed atop impressive domed roofs or soaring clock towers. Bill Morgan, in his typical humorous prose, tells of a disgruntled litigant who came out of court one day, drew his pistol and shot off the scales on the statue of justice. Courthouses are legacies bestowed by previous generations. Current courthouse occupants are brief parts of the building's history. The preservation of a historic county courthouse demonstrates long-term vision on the part of the community and its elected officials.
Historic courthouses are traditionally the grandest and most prominent buildings in the county.
These structures help give counties and communities their unique identities. Not every community has a historic courthouse, and no two historic courthouses are exactly alike. The Civil War interrupted the building of several courthouses. As the first floor was being completed, Confederate troops occupied these unfinished buildings. Bill Morgan tells of the Harris County courthouse having a cartridge factory on the second floor and a Yankee prison in the basement.