This was our forty-second Courthouse in Texas to visit. That means we are at 16.5% of our goal with 83.5% left to go.

The current Smith County Courthouse was built in 1955 by the architect Thomas Jameson & Merrell in a modern style using concrete, brick, and stone.

Tyler, settled in the 1840s, owes its name to President John Tyler. Smith County, of which Tyler has been the only county seat, was created in 1846 from part of what is now Nacogdoches County. the county was named for General James Smith, a Texas Revolution leader who was serving in the Republic of Texas Congress when the county was named for him.

After a series of three log cabins over five years served as the county courthouse, the cornerstone was laid in December 1851, for a new courthouse, Tyler’s first brick structure. The two-story building was 40 feet by 70 feet and sat in the middle of the square. In 1876 a third story was added, as well as a clock tower that never had a timepiece installed.