It was not quite 8 AM when I first caught sight of a towering mansion that seemed to be sitting in the middle of a busy street in Weatherford, Texas. I was caught up in the morning rush hour and wasn’t really sure where I was going; but I knew I wanted a closer look. As I moved closer, I could see that the building truly was in the street — it formed a giant traffic circle, and the drivers around me had no patience for gawking tourists. I found a place to park, trying to get a look at this amazing sight from a few different angles.

Mural on the side of Whistle Hill’s Cafe, just a stone’s throw from the courthouse

Weatherford has been the county seat since 1855, and this particular edifice is the fourth building to serve as county courthouse. Two of the previous structures were destroyed by fire, in 1874 and 1884.

The fourth and current building, an elegant French Empire designed architecture was dedicated in 1886 at a cost of $55,555.55.  It was designed by Wesley Clark Dodson of Waco who designed several other courthouses in Texas with limestone quarried from Parker County. French stonemasons, brothers Armand and Emile Laudes, who came to Weatherford from Ohio, fashioned the exterior stone design seen today.  They built the courthouse in Palo Pinto and Kaufman counties as well as the First Methodist Church on South Main in Weatherford.  The contractor paid a $2,580 fine for being 129 days behind schedule due to an apparent murder and ensuring scandal.

The Seth Thomas clock was installed in 1897, at a cost of $975.  Mechanisms were electrified in the 1960’s.  In 1964, the Courthouse was awarded a Texas Historical Marker — Parker County Heritage Society