Fredericksburg Turned Its 1882 Courthouse Into a Library

At 115 West Main Street, a courthouse still handles public business, just not the kind it was built for. Alfred Giles designed the native-limestone building, erected in 1881 and 1882 as Gillespie County's second courthouse. County courts used it until 1939.

Rusticated stone gives the walls their texture. Limestone and sheet-metal details carry the Italianate design, including an ornamental cornice, finials, and a one-story entrance with paired columns.

County offices remained until 1967. Restoration and conversion to a library and community hall came as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott. The building was renovated again in 1983 and 1984, and its current use is a library. Court business gave way to books and gatherings without removing the old courthouse from the square.