The Lampasas Courthouse Carried an 1880s Boom into Stone

Lampasas set aside its courthouse square when the town was platted in the 1850s, but the building that defines it came with the railroad era. Trains reached town in 1882. County leaders hired W. C. Dodson in 1883, and the new courthouse was finished in 1884.

Dodson mixed Second Empire form with Italianate detail. A mansard roof, arched windows, and a central tower gave the building its strong outline. Commissioners also approved a Seth Thomas clock in 1884. Kane Brothers built the courthouse, while T. Lovell and Company handled the stonework.

The courthouse endured floods in 1936 and 1957. Later repairs caused other trouble by harming the foundation and roof. Inside, old changes and worn building systems had also piled up over time.

A major restoration reversed poor interior work, repaired or replaced windows, renewed the systems, and improved access. Lampasas County rededicated the courthouse on March 2, 2004. The restored mansard roof still marks the square because the county repaired both storm damage and mistakes made after the storms.