{"nrhp_refnum":"78002977","name":"Red River County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Clarksville","county":"Red River County","state":"TX","lat":33.61328447200003,"lon":-95.05144058799999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-08-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story limestone county courthouse on the Public Square in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas, designed by Dallas architect W.H. Wilson and built 1883-1885, with a related 1884 county jail one block south.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the courthouse has exceptional architectural significance because of its unique character and handsome details, such as the ochre limestone, corner columns and pedestals, and metal-clad clock tower. It has also been the center of county government from the late nineteenth century to the present. It was among the first courthouses of the 1880s building wave in Texas and was widely admired.","narrative":"Clarksville's Red River County Courthouse sits in the middle of a square set several blocks from the business district and surrounded by homes, an arrangement uncommon in Texas. Dallas architect W.H. Wilson designed it, and contractor P.C. Livingston built it between 1883 and 1885 at a cost of $55,423.49. Ochre-colored limestone from near Honey Grove forms the walls, which follow a cruciform plan and show Renaissance Revival features. Corner columns and pedestals, segmental arches, bull's eye windows, a Dallas-made sheet metal cornice and a metal-clad clock tower give it a distinctive silhouette. The clock and a two-thousand pound bell came from a Boston firm. Four earlier courthouses preceded it. Contemporary reports called it one of the best in the state, and it was among the first of the many courthouses built across Texas in the 1880s and 1890s. A west addition and a remodeled courtroom reflect later changes, yet the building still serves its original purpose.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1883-1885)","architect_builder":"W.H. Wilson, architect; P.C. Livingston of Monroe, Louisiana, contractor","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival stylistic features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Good condition; occupied and still serving as the county courthouse. The district courtroom has been remodeled with an added second floor, and a west addition houses county offices and records.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.772657-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/9732/40973258/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002977.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002977/16396e6a58-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002977/16396e6a58-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Michael Barera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarksville_June_2018_32_(Red_River_County_Courthouse).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Barera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarksville_June_2018_32_(Red_River_County_Courthouse).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973258","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321978"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/red-river-county/red-river-county-courthouse-78002977/"}