Cass County's 1859 courthouse wears a 1930s face

Cass County started building its Linden courthouse in 1859. Records suggest the county may have occupied it by 1861, but the Texas Historical Commission dates completion to 1866. The active courthouse therefore reaches across the Civil War rather than fitting neatly on one side of it.

Its original brick core measured about 50 by 60 feet. Four fireplaces warmed the rooms, and a cupola carried a wooden ball covered in gold leaf. That compact footprint became the center of later additions. A 1933 fire led to another round of changes. The cupola disappeared, a third floor and new roof reshaped the building, and colored stucco helped give it the Classical Revival appearance associated with 1934.

A later restoration removed an addition from the 1980s and returned public rooms and finishes to that 1934 period. Crews also renewed building systems and improved access. Cass County rededicated the courthouse on February 18, 2012.

From the square, the 1930s exterior sets the view. Inside it is a much older courthouse that Cass County never stopped using.