This was our 208th Courthouse in Texas to visit. That means we are at 81.9% of our goal with 18.1% left to go.

What does a turkey drive, a thirty-year feud, a lady in a clock, and a headless horseman have in common? The answer is DeWitt County.

The present county of DeWitt, named for colonizer Green DeWitt, was created from parts of Gonzales, Victoria, and Goliad counties in 1846. Since that time, there have been three courthouses in three different cities, including its present county seat, Cuero. Somebody or somebodies didn’t care for the second courthouse because on Sunday night, April 8, 1894, it was torched. The Hallettsville Herald said it had been an eyesore to that beautiful city for many years.

The replacement building was definitely not an eyesore. But getting there was a challenge.

Acclaimed Austin architect A. O. Watson both designed and built the courthouse. He had quite a time funding it, however. Finally in December 1896, the unpaid workers walked away, leaving the courthouse without a roof. Citizens complained. I guess it would be hard to hold court with rain beating down on your heads.

Watson went broke on his “labor of love.” Winter was looming, when in steps Eugene Heiner, who saw its completion. DeWitt County got not one, but two Golden Age architects constructing their courthouse.