Henderson Commercial Historic District

Downtown Henderson, the seat of Rusk County in East Texas, forms a district of about 13 blocks centered on a large open intersection where the county courthouse stood until 1928. When the county built a new courthouse one block north and demolished the old one, the square stayed open, giving the town an unusual layout. Most of the surrounding buildings are one- or two-story load-bearing masonry stores, many of locally made brick, built from the 1880s through the 1930s. Italianate and Romanesque Revival details mark the late 19th century work, while Art Deco appears in 1920s and 1930s buildings such as the First National Bank, which was expanded in 1902, the 1910s and 1931. The district also holds four government buildings, a 1931 water tower and three stretches of brick street. Rail service in 1877 spurred a building boom, and oil discovered nearby in 1930 prompted storefront updates. Today almost every building is occupied.