Cooke County Courthouse

Cooke County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Cooke County Courthouse (2021)
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Location	101 S Dixon St, Gainesville, Texas
Coordinates	33°37′25″N 97°08′44″W
Built	1912 (1912)
Architect	Lang & Witchell
Architectural style	École des Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	91000336[1]
Added to NRHP	March 22, 1991

The Cooke County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Gainesville, Texas. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

History

The courthouse was designed by Lang & Witchell, and was constructed in 1912.[3] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, and designated a Texas Historic Landmark in 1988.[4]

Confederate monument

Detail of Confederate monument at Cooke County Courthouse.

On the lawn of the courthouse stands a monolith topped by a 1911 statue of a Confederate soldier. The inscription at the base of the statue reads, “no nation rose so white and fair none fell so pure of crime” in reference to the Southern cause.[5] In 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the removal of Confederate statues across the United States, Cooke County Commissioners voted to retain the statue outside the courthouse.[6][7] Protesters advocating against the statue were later sentenced to prison time for "obstructing a highway".[8] The protesters petitioned their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, who in 2024 declined to review the case.[9]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cooke County, Texas

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "National Register of Historic Places".
3. "History of Gainesville, Texas". www.gainesvilletxhousingauthority.com. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
4. "Details - Cooke County Courthouse - Atlas Number 5097001055 - Atlas: Texas Historical Commission". atlas.thc.state.tx.us. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
5. Campbell, Steve. "Gainesville's dark past still stirring passions". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
6. Carter, Simone. "Gainesville's County Commissioners Vote to Keep Courthouse Confederate Monument". Dallas Observer. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
7. Carter, Simone. "A Gainesville Confederate Statue is Gone. Activists Say There's More Work to Be Done". Dallas Observer. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
8. "ACLU asking U.S. Supreme Court to overturn conviction of Gainesville protestors". Dallas News. June 30, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
9. Reichmann, Kelsey (July 16, 2024). "Supreme Court wills Confederate monument protesters to jail despite appeal". Courthouse News Service.