Around
the Courthouse
The first courthouse on the
square was completed around 1892 and burned down in 1893. The
second courthouse on the square, the present day structure, was
ordered built by the commissioners' court in 1893 and completed
late
in the same year for a cost of $13,500. This courthouse employed
elements of the Romanesque Revival architectural style. The
building also featured a mansard roof treatment and ornamental
iron crestings which are characteristic of the General Grant
style. The courthouse was constructed of locally queried
limestone. In 1902 a tornado damaged the courthouse and many other
buildings on the town square. The courthouse roof and clock tower
were severely damaged. At that time, the small rural county didn't
have the financial resources to properly repair the roof or
replace the clock tower. A modest roof repair was made by local
craftsmen which omitted the clock and some of the ornate details
of the original roof. In 1986 the Somervell County Commissioners'
Court voted to restore the county courthouse. The work was
completed by Ray J. Miller Construction Company of Meridian under
the direction of architects Huckabee and Donham of Stephenville,
Texas. Final cost of restoring the building was $601,111.20.
"First Family of Glen Rose"
sculpted by
John Watson
Charles and
Juana Cavasos Barnard
Veterans Memorial of the Viet Nam Conflict
Directly behind courthouse
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