Due to the high cost of new construction, annexes and new courthouses are usually more modest with fewer visual amenities than their historic predecessors. The methods, quality and value of courthouse construction can no longer be duplicated by today's building practices. The finely carved masonry, ornamental and sometimes exotic stones, wood flooring and paneling and extensive embellishments crafted in plaster, wood and stone all convey a message of pride and purpose that could not be replicated in a modern structure. The act of demolition is irreversible. No amount of community regret will ever bring back a historic courthouse once it has been demolished.
Historic courthouses are structures that help give counties and communities their unique identies.
Not every community has a historic courthouse, and no two historic courthouses are exactly alike. Any use of this information should credit the Texas Historical Commission.