National Register Listing

Archer County Courthouse and Jail

Public Sq. and Sycamore and Pecan Sts., Archer City, TX

Both the courthouse and the jail possess county architectural significance. Representative of determined efforts to have law and governmental organization on a lonely frontier, at the turn of the century, they were remarkable achievements in West Texas. Then, as of now, they were the focal points of the community and were the strongest architectural expressions to be found in Archer County. The courthouse was designed by one of the most active and talented nineteenth-century architects in West Texas, A. N. Dawson. In addition, the jail is noteworthy for the structural technology represented in construction incorporating steel and concrete.

The design of the courthouse is the product of an architectural competition. On March 10, 1891, the Commissioners' Court of Archer County ordered the publication of invitations to architects to submit plans for a new courthouse to cost not less than $25,000 nor more than $35,000. On April 16, 1891, after having examined twenty-five sets of plans and specifications, A.N. Dawson of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded the commission to develop detailed plans and specifications. Two months later the contract between the county and the contractors, J. S. DeWees and Jacob Rath, of Throckmorton, Texas, was signed. The contract amount was $32,500.

The Archer County Courthouse is a good example of style incorporating Romanesque Revival design features. Ashlar masonry and Roman arches all contribute to the visual strength of the style of this temple of justice.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1977.