Colorado County Courthouse
a.k.a. See Also:Colorado County Courthouse Historic District
Bounded by Milam, Spring, Travis and Walnut Sts., Columbus, TXThe Colorado County Courthouse forms the nucleus of the Columbus town square which is surrounded by commercial structures on three sides and residences on the east. The courthouse square represents a typical small Texas town plan with the courthouse as the dominating visual feature In addition to the Victorian commercial structures around the courthouse there are a number of Victorian homes within several blocks of the town center, Displaying a combination of Victorian and Classical Revival features, the courthouse also serves as a symbol of Colorado County's interesting historical development.
The site of Colorado County was one of the first areas settled by impresario Stephen F. Austin. In August 1823, Stephen F. Austin, the Baron de Bastrop, a surveyor, and some Negro slaves surveyed 170 acres on the Colorado River 8 miles above the Atascosito crossing. This present site of Columbus was to be the capital and headquarters for the Austin Colony. But the site was abandoned and another location was selected on the Brazos River.
When Sam Houston's army retreated from Gonzoles in 1836 after the fall of the Alamo in the Texas War for Independence, it camped on the east bank of the Colorado River near the site of Columbus. Here Houston's army began to drill and train his army until he learned of the massacre at Goliad. The news created havoc among the Anglo settlers and in retreat Houston's army burned the buildings at Columbus.
One of the original counties of the Republic of Texas, Colorado County was created in 1836 and organized in 1837. Since General Houston had burned all of Columbus' buildings, the first district court was held under a live oak tree and presided over by Robert M. Williamson in April 1837. The tree still stands to the east of the present courthouse in the center of a bordering street. Four courthouses preceded the present courthouse which was built in 1890-91. Although Columbus had grown rapidly following the Civil War, the 1880s and 1890s brought important changes to the town. The courthouse square began to flourish with new business structures, including the 1886 Stafford Opera House at the southwest corner of the square. Built by millionaire cattleman and banker, R. E. Stafford, the Opera House became the center of social and cultural activities in the area.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.