National Register Listing

Old Hidalgo Courthouse and Buildings

Flora and 1st Sts., Hidalgo, TX

The Old Hidalgo Courthouse Complex is the only remaining cluster of historic buildings in the town and represents the late 19th-century communities that developed along the northern bank of the fertile Rio Grande River Valley founded on previous 18th-century settlements from the Spanish Nuevo Santander colony, where early settlements denoted ranch out-posts possibly as early as 1779. The historic structures in this complex share mainly a vernacular expression derived from their common Spanish heritage, as well as a temporal relationship. During the period the county seat was located in Old Hidalgo, Anglo-American settlement increased, the first railroad was brought to the area (1904), the first citrus fruit and vegetables were produced on a commercial basis, and the first newspaper was printed.

Hidalgo County was organized in 1852, following the war with Mexico, and named in honor of Father Miguel Hidalgo, leader of the Mexican independence movement in 1810. The county seat, named Edinburg, was established with the public buildings on the bank of the Rio Grande River. The relocation of the community further from the river around the new courthouse in 1886 preceded the almost destruction of the early site by an overflow of the river in 1887. In 1908, Edinburg as county seat was again relocated north some 14 miles, and the old town site was renamed Hidalgo.

While interest in saving the courthouse complex buildings is high, the community lacks the funds for major preservation or restoration efforts.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.