Mills County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Mills County's courthouse in Goldthwaite is a three-story Classical Revival building with a raised basement, completed in 1913 on the town's public square. It replaced the county's first courthouse, a stone building of 1890 that burned beyond use in 1912. San Antonio architect Henry T. Phelps designed the replacement, and Gordon-Jones Construction Company of San Antonio built it. Brick rises above a cast-stone basement, and the north, east and west facades have engaged Ionic columns, copper architraves and ornate pediments. Inside, gray marble wainscoting, terrazzo floors, a marble staircase and a central rotunda with a skylight carry the classical theme. The building is considered locally significant for government, since it has remained the centre of the county's political and social life, and for architecture, since it was the first Phelps courthouse to use columns and pedimented entries. It retains its integrity and remains in use as the courthouse.
Significance in brief: The courthouse is argued to be significant locally under Criterion A for government, as the centre of county political and social activity, and under Criterion C for architecture. It replaced the first courthouse, which burned in 1912, and is the first of architect Henry T. Phelps's courthouses to use classically inspired columns and pedimented entries, marking a stage in his career.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00001359, listed November 8, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1011 Fourth St., Goldthwaite |
|---|---|
| County | Mills County |
| Listed | November 8, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001359 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1913-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Henry T. Phelps, architect; Gordon-Jones Construction Company, builder. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century American Revivals: Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as the county courthouse; described as well maintained and unaltered except for replacement of some windows and doors. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.45515, -98.57606 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00001359.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6859961
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.