{"nrhp_refnum":"77001424","name":"Archer County Courthouse and Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq. and Sycamore and Pecan Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Archer City","county":"Archer County","state":"TX","lat":33.59508729800007,"lon":-98.62506341699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-12-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Two public buildings in Archer City, Archer County, Texas: a sandstone county courthouse on the public square built in 1891-1892, and a three-story sandstone county jail built in 1910 a block to the north.","why_significant":"The nomination argues both buildings have county-level architectural significance as the strongest architectural expressions in Archer County and as symbols of law and government on the West Texas frontier. The courthouse was designed by A. N. Dawson following an architectural competition and reflects Romanesque Revival features. The jail is noted for its steel and concrete construction technology.","narrative":"Archer City's public square holds a county courthouse built in 1891-1892 of brown quarry-faced sandstone, and a block north stands the county jail of 1910. The courthouse design came from an architectural competition; commissioners reviewed twenty-five sets of plans before choosing A. N. Dawson of Fort Worth, and the contract with builders J. S. DeWees and Jacob Rath totaled $32,500. Its Roman arches and ashlar masonry reflect Romanesque Revival features. Remodeling in 1925 and 1960 removed the central tower and corner roofs and added a third floor, yet the original character remains apparent, including interior vaults and stairs. The jail replaced a wooden jail of 1886 and has sheriff's quarters, cell blocks and a gallows installation on its upper floors. Its floors use steel beams, corrugated iron arches and concrete. Closed in 1974, it now serves as a museum. Both buildings were recognized for their county-level architectural importance and as focal points of the community.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Architect A. N. Dawson of Fort Worth (courthouse); contractors J. S. DeWees and Jacob Rath of Throckmorton","architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival features (courthouse)","criteria":[],"status_note":"The courthouse remains in government use, though altered in 1925 and 1960; the jail was abandoned in 1974 and is now a museum with its interior virtually unchanged.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.288837-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/9710/40971005/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/77001424.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001424/c9a3001cad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001424/c9a3001cad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archer_courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archer_courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971005","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_County_Courthouse_and_Jail","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4785946"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/archer-county/archer-county-courthouse-and-jail-77001424/"}