Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 202 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
columns, sleepers and joists, which were to
be of sound oak, and lintels, which were to
be of good heart cedar. There was a brick
chimney in each corner of the house, with a
fire-place in each, three feet high and three
feet wide. There were thirty-two small windows,
and four large windows, seven and
one half by ten feet each; four large doors
seven and one half by ten feet each, the doors
to be paneled work and well finished. The
building was painted.white on the inside except
the bar, jury box and clerk's desk, which
were of a walnut color. John J. Good, James
N. Smith and
Jennings superintended
the construction of this, then magnificent,
structure.
Dallas county held her courts in this building
for about fifteen years, or until 1871,
when it was condemned by the court as unsafe
and sold for the paltry sum of $465, in
two notes of $232.50 each, due in six months
and one year, respectively, from date, April 29,
1871.
In this year the county contracted for another
courthouse. The contract was let to
James Donegan, but he failed to complete
the work, and in November, 1871, the county
paid him for the material on the ground and
the labor he had done, and relieved him of
the responsibility on the contract.
This building was made of stone quarried
in Dallas county. It was two-stories high, of
white stone, and made a very pretty building,
which was used as a temple of justice till
1880, when it was partially destroyed by fire,
the four walls being all that remained after
the dreaded monster had completed its work.The walls not being damaged to any great extent
the inside was rebuilt, the walls repaired,
and a third story added, and a tower was
built in the center, and a beautiful as well
as substantial building was the result. Trees
were planted in the yard around the building
and an iron fence built around the square;
and, all in all, it presented a very beautiful appearance;
but it was no fire-proof, and again il
1890, just ten years and three days after the
first fire, Dallas county was again without a
courthouse.
THE COURTHOUSE AS REBUILT, 1iSO.
On the 7th day of February, 1890, about
three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Moore,
deputy sheriff, and Mr. Jackson, deputy
county clerk, were in Judge E. G. Bowers'
court room, when all on a sudden they
heard a roaring behind them, and upon
looking around discovered the building to be
on fire. The alarm was sounded, and the fire
department promptly responded, but the
wind being high and the water scarce they
could do little good, and in little more than
an hour the parts of four charred walls were
all that were left of Dallas county's fourth
courthouse!
Though unfortunate in losing two court-
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Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/202/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.