PANOLA COUNTY COURTHOUSE
County Seat - Carthage, Texas

Panola County has had six courthouses:
1846, 1848, 1850, 1853, 1885 and 1953.

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The 1953 Panola County courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, December 2007

Present Panola County Courthouse
- Carthage, Texas

Date - 1953
Style - Modern
Architect - Preston M. Geren
Material - Concrete and brick
Jail on third floor.

Carthage became the county seat in 1848 when Jonathan Anderson donated 100 acres for the townsite.

Photographer's Note:
"The courthouse annex (on the right side of the above photo) behind the courthouse was built several years ago and all of the courtrooms were moved there. The courtrooms that were at each end of the 1953 building are now occupied by the county clerk's office and the district clerk's office." - Terry Jeanson, December 2007

One of the worst architectural errors in judgement occurred in Panola County in 1956. The 1885 courthouse (a twin to Shelby County’s courthouse) was replaced with the 1953 structure in use today. The old courthouse was auctioned for materials and a park was made of the courthouse lawn.

See The Castle Builder by Bob Bowman
Architect Jacob Joseph Emmett Gipson, and the Shelby and Panola County courthouses.

Carthage Texas - 1953 Panola County Courthouse

The 1953 Panola County Courthouse
Postcard courtesy THC, 1960s

The 1885 Panola County Courthouse
Carthage, Texas

Date - 1885
Style - Gothic Revival
Architect - John Joseph Emmett Gibson
Material - High buff brick tourelles with buttresses
Cost - $27,375
Demolished in 1953.

Carthage Texas - 1885 Panola County Courthouse

The 1885 Panola County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Notice the similarity to the Shelby County Courthouse below.
Photo courtesy TXDoT

1939 photo Courtesy TxDoT

Shelby County Courthouse

1885 Panola County Courthouse, Carthage, Texas

Another view of the 1885 Panola County Courthouse
1940s Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/

Drawing of the 1885 Panola County courthouse by artist Stan Routh.

"This drawing, along with dozens of other Stan Routh drawings and other historical photos, is hanging in the county clerk's office of the current courthouse." - Terry Jeanson, December 2007 photo