Historical Marker
De Witt County Courthouse
Historical marker location:
307 N. Gonzales St., Cuero, Texas
( DeWitt County Courthouse grounds, west entrance facing N. Gonzales St.)
Marker installed: 1966
De Witt County organized in 1846 with Cameron as the first seat of government. Clinton was county seat from 1850 to 1876, when its two-story frame courthouse was moved to the new seat of Cuero. That building burned in April 1894. The present courthouse was built from 1894 to 1896, designed by A.O. Watson and completed under supervision of Eugene Heiner. The Richardson Romanesque building, strongly influenced by H. H. Richardson's Allegheny County Courthouse, is a three-story sandstone and granite courthouse with a six-story clock tower and flanking pavilions. In 2007, the courthouse was rededicated with a ceremony patterned after the 1896 original dedication. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966.
In the late 19th century, Texas became known for its cattle drives, in which cowboys would move herds of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas and other northern states. The cattle drives were dangerous and difficult work, but they played a key role in the development of the American cattle industry.