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Parmer County
Courthouse (west view)
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
Parmer County
Courthouse
Parmer
County has an interesting history
of courthouses. The 1907 courthouse (the first) which was at Parmerton
was moved to Friona.
The one standing today in Farwell is
the second one and dates from 1916.
Architect: C. Risser
Style: Texas Renaissance
Material: Brick |
PARMER COUNTY
COURTHOUSES
Although Parmer
County was established in 1876, named for Martin Parmer,
a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the first settlers
didn't arrive until 1882. The area of Parmer
County and parts of nine other counties on the western side of
the Panhandle
came under control of the Capitol Syndicate who organized the area
into the XIT
Ranch in 1885. The land was payment for the construction of Texas'
Capitol building in Austin.
At that time, the county was populated solely by the ranch workers.
In 1898, the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was built through the
area, establishing the towns of Parmer
Switch (later renamed Parmerton,)
Black, Friona
and Bovina. As the syndicate began
selling XIT
lands in the late 1890s, smaller ranchers and farmers began to populate
the area. In 1904, a lumber company was established by R. H. Kemp
near the point where the railroad left Texas and entered New Mexico.
A town, founded by the Capitol Syndicate, grew from this location
and was named Farwell after brothers
Charles and John Farwell, members of the Capitol Syndicate who organized
the XIT
Ranch. Farwell was surveyed the next year and grew rapidly. Parmer
County was officially organized in May of 1907 and an election
was held making Parmerton the county seat. A second election was held
in December of 1907 and Farwell was made the county seat the following
year. Soon afterwards, the town of Parmerton
faded away. In 1913, the town of Friona
challenged Farwell for the county seat.
An election was held, but Friona
lost. The election results were contested, but in 1916, the court
ruled in favor of Farwell.
Parmer County's
first courthouse was a one-story wood frame building built
on Parmerton Hill, the halfway mark between Friona
and Bovina. When Farwell
became the county seat, the first courthouse was towed to Friona
but burned in the 1950s.
A second, permanent courthouse was not built in Farwell
until 1916 and is still in use today. The current courthouse was constructed
of brick in a Classical Revival style. The architects were C. Risser
and William C. Townes and the contractor was William M. Rice.
Rice designed the 1916
Lynn County courthouse and his construction company built many
other Texas
county courthouses. An accompanying one-story
brick jail was built behind the courthouse in 1917. The courthouse
contains many of the design elements of the Classical Revival style
courthouses in Texas at the time, but its most distinguishing feature
is the triple arches over the front
(west side) entrance. The interior of the courthouse was later
modernized and the front entrance was closed for the installation
of an elevator. In 1974, the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center
was built and attached to the north side of the courthouse.
The 1916 Parmer County courthouse was added to the list of Recorded
Texas Historic Landmarks in 1962.
Terry
Jeanson, October 25, 2017.
Sources:
The Texas State Historical Association's The Handbook of Texas Online
at https://tshaonline.org/handbook,
The Texas Historical Commission's Texas Historic Sites Atlas at https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us
and
The Courthouses of Texas by Mavis P.Kelsey Sr. and Donald H. Dyal,
2nd edition, 2007. |
 |
NW corner of
the courthouse showing the 1974 Law Enforcement Center addition.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
The south side
entrance is now the main entrance to the courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
Rear (east side)
of the courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
Detail of west
side entrance. This entrance is no longer accessible due to the installation
of the courthouse's elevator.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
Parmer County
courthouse district courtroom.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
This oil painting
of the Parmer County courthouse and jail
is hanging in the first floor of the courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2007 |
Same view of
Parmer County Courthouse today
Photo Courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2003 |
Parmer County
Courthouse and Jail
photo circa 1916
Courtesy THC |
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