{"nrhp_refnum":"79002932","name":"Edwards County Courthouse and Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rocksprings","county":"Edwards County","state":"TX","lat":30.01616929000005,"lon":-100.20818361799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone county courthouse built in 1891 and an adjacent two-story limestone jail built in 1895, both on the Public Square in Rocksprings, Edwards County, Texas. Ben Davey and Bruno Schott of Kerrville built both.","why_significant":"The courthouse was the first public building erected in Rocksprings and has served as the center of county government for almost 90 years. Its rough-cut native limestone masonry suits the local landscape, and the carved gables on its north and south facades show ornament more typical of Romanesque Revival buildings. It survived an 1898 fire and a 1927 tornado that destroyed much of the town.","narrative":"Rocksprings, Texas, has a limestone courthouse and jail on its Public Square that date to the 1890s. The courthouse, finished in 1891, was the first public building in town and was built after Rocksprings won an election to become the permanent county seat of Edwards County. Ben Davey and Bruno Schott of Kerrville built it for $18,000 and returned in 1895 to build the similar jail for $4,780. Both buildings use coursed native limestone, with quoins, arched entries and simple sills and lintels. The carved, foliated stone edging on the north and south gables is the courthouse's main ornament. The building came through an 1898 fire, which required restoration, and a 1927 tornado that took off its roof but otherwise left it standing while the storm destroyed much of the town. It remains in use as the county's center of government and was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1973.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Ben Davey and Bruno Schott","architectural_style":"Eclectic style often associated with Victorian architecture of the late 1800s","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in fine condition and still in use as the seat of county government; the form lists the property as occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.596574-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/9718/40971829/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002932.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002932/3415d1b4a7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002932/3415d1b4a7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwards_county_tx_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:Edwards_county_tx_courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971829","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_County_Courthouse_and_Jail","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24261041"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/edwards-county/edwards-county-courthouse-and-jail-79002932/"}