Washington County - American Courthouses

Washington County is named for George Washington, who was the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Burleson County and Brazos County

E – Grimes County and Waller County

S – Austin County

W – Fayette County and Lee County

Created: March 17, 1836

County Seat:

Washington-on-the-Brazos 1837 – 1841

Mount Vernon 1841 – 1844

Brenham 1844 – present

County Courthouse – Brenham

Location: 100 East Main Street / North Park Street

Built: 1939 – 1940

Style: Moderne

Architect: Travis Broesche

Contractor: C L Browning, Jr.

Description: The building faces south and is a three story limestone, concrete and glass structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Brenham. The central section extends from the higher main building and has vertical windows and panels. On the upper part is a clock. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is Art Deco ornamentation. The plan is organized around central axial corridors with marble wainscoting and terrazzo floors. Circulating stairs in the east and west ends of the structure provide access to the upper stories and feature curvilinear aluminum balustrades. The District Court courtroom is located on the south side of the third story and features a high-ceiling and clerestory windows which light the courtroom. There are original furniture, a wood wainscot, and a decorative ceiling with geometric floral motifs. The County Court at Law courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court, County Court at Law, Constitutional Court and County Justice Court. The building is a Public Works Administration project. On the west side of the building is the County Courthouse Annex.

See: First Court of Appeals – Houston

Note: The county is one of the original 23 counties created in 1836.

History: The county was created in 1837 and Washington-on-the-Brazos was selected as the county seat in 1837 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was built in Washington-on-the-Brazos in 1837. The second courthouse was a log structure built in Mount Vernon in 1841. The third courthouse was a two story cedar structure built in Brenham in 1844. The fourth courthouse was a Greek Revival structure designed by Joe Tom, Joe Miller and Hugh Sherrald and constructed by Joe Stamp in 1852 at a cost of $8700. The fifth courthouse was an Italianate structure designed by J N Preston and constructed by Waite & Gardner in 1884. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed at a cost of $200,000.

County Courthouse Annex – Brenham

Location: 100 South Park Street / West Main Street

Built: 1906 – 1907

Style: Moderne

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces east and is a two story cream colored stucco and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of the city on the west side of the courthouse. The east front has a recessed central section with two columns and recessed glass wall. The windows are located on the second story. The building houses offices. The building was originally the Farmers National Bank. The County remodeled the building in 2010. The architect was Charles Keefe and the contractor was Chapel Hill Construction.