County unveils courthouse

For more than 100 years the Donley County Courthouse has stood as a sentinel of justice and freedom; and on Friday, July 4, it was rededicated to the service of the people of this county and the Panhandle.

A crowd estimated to number more than 400 assembled on the east side of the courthouse square on the hot July morning as dignitaries from the local, state, and federal governments delivered several speeches on the occasion of the rebirth of the oldest operating courthouse in the Texas Panhandle.

“We picked this day [July 4] because of the freedoms that are housed in this courthouse,” County Judge Jack Hall said in his welcoming remarks. He stressed the important role the 1890 courthouse has played in the lives of local citizens, and that was a theme repeated throughout the morning.

Following the invocation by Commissioner Don Hall and the posting of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 433, State Rep. Warren Chisum led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Dan Hall performed “God Bless the USA” and led the national anthem.

Donley County Historical Commission Chairman Jean Stavenhagen gave a history of the courthouse and spoke of its tie to local citizens.

“Our courthouse is more than steel, stone, and rock,” Stavenhagen said. “It is where life unfolds; it is the essence of all the people who have walked down its halls and worked in its rooms.”

She spoke of the historic cases that were tried within the courthouse walls and of the early records housed there that detail the lives of such legendary figures as Alfred Rowe and Charles Goodnight. And she praised the renovated courthouse.

“Let us pay homage to our wonderful “old lady” of Donley County,” Stavenhagen said. “She has had her arteries of pipes and wires unclogged, the bats taken out of her hair, and a ‘facelift’ of newly painted walls and floors. She is now the “Queen of the Panhandle” – all spruced up, sitting in her courtyard like royalty, waiting for her people.”

Clarendon’s own US Rep. Mac Thornberry followed Stavenhagen and focused on what the courthouse means to the people of Donley County.

“Polishing bricks, mortar, and wood isn’t what this project is about,” Thornberry said. “This is about the people of Donley County. This building helps us to remember all the pioneers who built this county.”

And the Congressman also echoed Judge Hall’s comments about freedom.

“Let us remember that we can’t just coast on the sacrifices of prior generations. Liberty must be earned anew each day.”

State Rep. Chisum addressed the crowd and mentioned that that day was also his birthday, and the crowd burst into spontaneous song to wish him a happy birthday.

“The older I get, the more I’m glad we take care of our old stuff,” Chisum quipped, before addressing the larger significance of the day.

Larry Oaks, the executive director of the Texas Historical Commission (THC), next spoke of the immense project and praised the people of Donley County.

“You are to be commended on the job you’ve done here,” he said. “It’s people at the local level that make this country great, and the heart and soul of Texas is in its small towns.”

Oaks also referred to those who worked on the Donley County project as being “the super team” and offered accolades to the architects at Volz & Associates and the people at Phoenix I Restoration & Construction.

John Kiehl of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, who served as the project administrator, offered thanks to the various county officials who had helped with the project. 

General contractor Dale Sellers of Phoenix I spoke of his company’s role in the project and mentioned that some 30 local people had worked on the courthouse and that several hundred thousand dollars had been spent with local merchants.

Project architect Chris Hutson spoke of the 1890 courthouse as a survivor, detailing some of its prior problems and then addressing the character of our local people.

“I was thinking of 1887 when the citizens decided to move the entire town and what a gut-wrenching decision that must have been,” Hutson said. “I’ve never before seen the spirit of vitality that I’ve seen in Clarendon.”

THC Director of Architecture Stan Graves and THC Preservation Program Architect Lyman Labry presented a plaque on behalf of the State of Texas to the county to be hung in the courthouse.

Ruth Robinson of the Donley County Historical Commission conducted the drawing for the original painting of the courthouse done by James Ivey Edwards. Nova Mooring was the winner, and she donated it back to the courthouse.

Members of the commissioners’ court – Ernest Johnston, Don Hall, Buster Shields, and Bob Trout – cut the ribbon to the front door of the courthouse, and Rev. Jim Aveni closed the ceremony with a prayer.

A total of 388 guests signed the registry before touring the courthouse on Friday. Another 121 visitors came by on Saturday.

Inside the courthouse were arranged various artifacts from the building that were found during the project. One display also recognized those donors to the project who had given $1,000 or more. Another display listed everyone who had given any money no matter what amount.