Hillsboro's 1890 courthouse burned in 1993 and was restored with help from Willie Nelson

On the square in Hillsboro, the Hill County Courthouse is the kind of building that tells you where the county's front porch is. The Texas Historical Commission marker says contractors built the rusticated limestone courthouse in 1890 from W.C. Dodson's modified French Second Empire design, with a three-story courthouse under a seven-story clock tower.

New Year's Day 1993 nearly erased it. THC says a fire left the shell of the courthouse, but Hill County rebuilt with local fundraising, a Texas Department of Transportation grant, and two charity concerts by Hill County native Willie Nelson. The courthouse was rededicated on April 24, 1999. Hill County's own site lists it at 1 N. Waco Street, so the restoration is not just a pretty facade; it is still part of county life.