Details for Refugio County Courthouses

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5391004233

Data

Marker Number 4233
Atlas Number 5391004233
Marker Title Refugio County Courthouses
Index Entry Refugio County Courthouses
Address 808 Commerce Street
City Refugio
County Refugio
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 669120
UTM Northing 3131231
Subject Codes courthouses; design and construction
Marker Year 1994
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location 808 Commerce Street
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text The county and city of Refugio are named after the Spanish Mission De Nuestra Señora Del Refugio (the Mission of our Lady of Refuge) established here in 1795. The Spanish mission building served as Refugio County's courthouse at various times from 1837 to 1848. Construction of a permanent county courthouse began about 1850 here on the town's central plaza, dedicated for municipal buildings when Refugio was a Mexican pueblo (1821-1836). The one-story courthouse, made from shell concrete and cypress lumber, was enlarged to a two-story structure in the late 1850s. A new courthouse, built in the mid-1870s, burned in 1879 and was replaced with a new structure in the late 1850s. A new courthouse, built in the mid-1870s, burned in 1879 and was replaced with a new structure in 1880. The fifth Refugio County courthouse, designed by San Antonio architect Atlee B. Ayres and built by local contractor W.H. Borglud, was completed at this site in December 1917. In the 1920s oil and natural gas were discovered in significant quantities throughout Refugio County. The burgeoning oil and gas industries led to an increase in population and business activity in the county, and in the 1950s the county courthouse was expanded with the addition of north and south wings. Refugio County courthouse continues its traditional role as the county's governmental and judical center. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995