This was our one hundred-third Courthouse in Texas to visit. That means we are at 40.6% of our goal with 59.4% left to go.

The plans for the current Concho County courthouse had been drawn by Frederick E. Ruffini before his death in 1885. His brother, Oscar, oversaw the completion of the building in 1886. The plans were used for several other Texas county courthouses, most of which have been demolished with the exception of the old Blanco County courthouse in Blanco and the Sutton County courthouse in Sonora.

According to the Texas Historical Commission Atlas at http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/shell-county.htm, the “…plans originated with W.W. Larmour (of San Antonio) but were used without permission by the contractor J. H. Walker for the Tom Green County courthouse – The supervising architect for the Tom Green County Courthouse was Oscar Ruffini who sent a copy of the plans and a photo of the courthouse to his brother Frederick Ernst Ruffini (of Austin) who in turn modified them for the Blanco County courthouse and for contractor Captain James B. Smith who then used the Ruffini design for the Callahan County Courthouse and the Concho County Courthouse. – Oscar Ruffini then reused the F. E. Ruffini plans for the Mills and Sutton County Courthouses.”