Dawson County Courthouse, Texas

County Seat – Lamesa

Architect –  Sanguinet & Staats

Style – Texas Renaissance

Built – 1916  (annex was built in 1952)

Photos Taken – June 24, 2005

Impressions:  Honestly, this courthouse offered little in the way of awe-inspiring architecture.  In fact, it was really rather dull.  Having said that – the mural over the main door is worth the visit.  Reading the history of the courthouse in TexasEscapes, it seems there was a little style at one point, with each of the entrances having porticos  and columns.  They were later removed for environmental reasons (?).   Also, not sure the story behind the murals – but here’s a quote from TexasEscapes –

A former ‘guest’ of the Dawson County jail was enlisted to paint murals on the empty slabs of concrete over the entrances to the courthouse. His efforts were successful in adding some much needed character to the courthouse’s exterior. – Terry Jeanson

 

 

If you’re on the road and passing through Lamesa – you might want to stop. Otherwise, this is a stop only for the hardy and the fools (read me) trying to visit all courthouses. We were on our way to a vacation in Oregon and the stop was a logical one for us.

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