Ellis County Courthouse

Location – Waxahachie
Built – 1896
Architect – J Riely Gordon
Style – Romanesque Revival
Photos taken – June 23, 2014

This imposing building has stood as a Central Texas symbol of community pride and wealth.  It is obvious, for the period, no expense was spared.  This is an excellent example of the Romanesque Revival style.  The wealth in this area probably came mostly from cotton – though I’m just guessing.  The courthouse has undergone a complete restoration – including the district courtroom, which I thought to be pretty impressive.  It’s rather large.

While walking through the courthouse, we asked about the historic jail – I thought was still standing – but was informed that it had been torned down.  I was a little surprised, given the historical pride this community has.  I was also surprised in who provided us this information.  A nice and friendly lady, who claims to hail from San Antonio – the County Judge of Ellis County Carol Bush.  For those of you not reading this from Texas, the county judge is the top administrative position in each county.  Not to be confused with district court judges.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *