{"nrhp_refnum":"78003001","name":"Wilson County Courthouse and Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Floresville","county":"Wilson County","state":"TX","lat":29.13357570200003,"lon":-98.15713932799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stuccoed brick county courthouse (completed 1884) and a cubical stuccoed brick jail (built 1887) on the public square of Floresville, Wilson County, Texas. Alfred Giles designed the courthouse and James Riely Gordon designed the jail.","why_significant":"The courthouse is a rare example of Italianate architecture among Texas courthouses, a style unusual for 19th-century courts in the state. Both buildings were designed by architects described as among the finest in 19th-century Texas. The two buildings still serve the county and act as a focal point for the community.","narrative":"Two county buildings share the public square in Floresville, Texas: a courthouse finished in 1884 and a jail built in 1887. Alfred Giles designed the two-story stuccoed brick courthouse, which has a large pyramidal tower, quoins, segmental and round-arched windows, and porticos with balustrades. Its Italianate character was unusual for Texas courthouses of the period. James Riely Gordon designed the cubical jail, which has corner pilasters, hood molds and a hipped roof; B. L. Ried built it, and a St. Louis firm supplied the cell ironwork. Wilson County moved its seat several times after forming in 1860 before Floresville was chosen in 1873. A temporary wood frame courthouse burned in 1884, leading to Giles's commission. The courthouse was remodeled in the late 1930s and the 1950s, yet it still houses county government, while the former jail now provides office space.","period_of_significance":"1884/1887","architect_builder":"Alfred Giles/J. R. Gordon; jail constructed by B. L. Ried","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Courthouse still functions as the seat of county government; the old jail has been converted into additional county office space. Condition listed as good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.709847-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/17/9740/40974017/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78003001.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003001/dd5b25e34e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003001/dd5b25e34e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilson_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:Wilson_courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40974017","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_County_Courthouse_and_Jail","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8023029"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/wilson-county/wilson-county-courthouse-and-jail-78003001/"}