{"nrhp_refnum":"79002997","name":"Old Morris County Courthouse","other_names":["Morris County Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"101 Linda Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Daingerfield","county":"Morris County","state":"TX","lat":33.03173895600003,"lon":-94.72164849599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-12-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story load-bearing brick county courthouse at 101 Linda Drive in Daingerfield, Morris County, Texas, completed in 1882 by the local firm of Peterson and Stuckey at a cost of $5,500.","why_significant":"It was the first permanent seat of government in Morris County, one of the smallest counties in Texas, formed in 1875. Its contract required it to match the courthouse in nearby Franklin County, and its plan gave eighteen rooms corner windows for light and ventilation. It is also tied to John Levi Sheppard and his son Morris Sheppard, both prominent in the U.S. Congress.","narrative":"Built in 1882 in Daingerfield, this two-story brick courthouse was the first permanent seat of government for Morris County, one of the smallest counties in Texas. The local firm of Peterson and Stuckey constructed it for $5,500, following a contract that required it to be identical to the courthouse in neighboring Franklin County. Plain detailing, a low hipped roof, a cupola and a projecting false portico with corbeled brick pilasters define its appearance. The plan stepped out from a central block so that eighteen rooms had corner windows for light and ventilation. Interior remodeling around 1920 and 1950 changed the original cross-hall layout. The building also holds civic associations: John Levi Sheppard worked here as district attorney and judge before entering Congress in 1900, and his son Morris Sheppard began a forty-two year congressional and Senate career in 1903. After a new courthouse replaced it in 1972, the building avoided demolition and became a county museum and historical society headquarters.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Peterson and Stuckey","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"In good structural repair with largely unaltered exterior; since 1972 used as a county museum and offices of the county historical society.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.886505-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9730/40973064/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002997.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002997/d97ecbf08c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002997/d97ecbf08c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Hauteboy","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Morris_county_courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Hauteboy</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:Old_Morris_county_courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973064","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Morris_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55627443"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/morris-county/old-morris-county-courthouse-79002997/"}