Refugio Co. Courthouse - August 20th, 2022


Visit the 1919 Refugio County Courthouse in Refugio, TX, the fifth for the county and only one built since the 19th Century

Named for the Mission "Our Lady of Refuge" established in 1791

The brick courthouse is in the Texas Renaissance style

Refugio County Court House with Christmas lights strung along the top

Oil & Gas industries led to population increase & courthouse expansion

Empresario Power recruited Irish Catholics to come to Texas

Sally was a champion cusser who did extremely hazardous man's work

The cornerstone of the original 1919 courthouse added onto on the right

Same cornerstone with addition concealing the its front with the date

Circle around the addition and find a back to schook display

View of the 1950 addition from the northside on Purisima Street

Art Deco COURTHOUSE stamped into the concrete above the entrance

Walk along the west side of the courthouse and find many boarded windows

Westside original entrance and windows around it are boarded up

Melted burned up equipment left outside the west side entrance

Must be some sort air handler or maybe a dryer?

Overgrown tight area created by a nearby Valero station

Former delivery area fenced off with barbwire up top

1947 home w/new roof across Empresario St. may or may not be abandoned

View of the SE corner of the Courthouse from Commerce Street

Kathy finds the cornerstone for the 1950 addition

The southside addition has JAIL embossed across the entrance

The additions doubled the size of the courthouse back in 1950

Stone in great shape of county officials from 70 plus years ago

Come back around to the original west side entrance

Covered entrance with designs in the portico

Look inside and it appears the courthouse is still being used

View from the entrance across Commerce Street toward King's Park

See the sculpture dedicated to Amon King and his men slain in 1836

A french sculpter created the art deco memorial in 1937

Explanation put in place in 2011 defending the sculpture as a fitting memorial

Not the armpit of Texas but sacrifice that gave us freedoms we enjoy today