Courthouse centennial celebration, plaque unveiling set for April

Stephens County is gearing up for two historic events to recognize 100 years of the 1926 courthouse and an unveiling of a plaque featuring the Col. William Barret Travis “Victory or Death” letter. 

The event will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14 at the Stephens County Courthouse at 200 West Walker St. with support from Stephens County, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Alamo Letter Society.

Stephens County Courthouse History

The Stephens County Courthouse has been listed within the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places since 1997.

The courthouse was designed in 1925 with construction spanning through 1926, according to the federal historic place designation. This was the third courthouse built in Stephens County and was designed by Abilene architect David S. Castle.

“The design and plan of the Stephens County Courthouse represents popular trends in courthouse architecture during the time of its construction. Its Classical Revival elements are commonly found in courthouses of the era,” the historic designation states.

The final cost of the new courthouse was $410,149.40. Construction of the courthouse in 1926 was at the peak of the oil boom in Breckenridge.

When the 1883 courthouse was torn down, the front porch and sandstone entryway were retained as a monument on the southeast end of the block of the new courthouse lot.

An inscription carved into the stonework of the building reads “Justice, Equity and Peace Administered Alike To All People.” In each pillar was carved the likeness of an eagle below a lone star.

Dedication ceremonies for the new building were held in July 1926, but county officers did not move into the new courthouse until December 1926.

“The high school band played patriotic music while American Legion members marched flags to a temporary platform. County Judge John W. Hill presented the building to the American Legion for dedication and former Abilene mayor and civic leader Dallas Scarbrough gave the dedication address,” the historic designation states.

The courthouse was dedicated to war veterans of Stephens County with a bronze tablet which included the names of county veterans.

Alamo Letter 

The Alamo Letter Society made its mission to educate current and future state residents through the placement of a bronze plaque with Col. William Barret Travis’ Alamo “Victory or Death” letter in all 254 Texas courthouses. 

The “Victory or Death” letter was written Feb. 24, 1836 and was dispatched through the Mexican Army to Gen. Sam Houston by Cap. Albert Martin. 

The Stephens County Commissioners Court approved a $10,750 quote from Sterling Monument Company for the installation of the bronze monument during an August 2025 meeting.

The quote is for a slanted bronze monument 3 feet wide and a width of 4 feet on the back so it is set at an angle for easy viewing. 

The commissioners approved the placement of the monument at the courthouse in February 2025, after being approached by Alamo Letter Society’s Stephens County Co-Chair Kenneth Raney.

Counties that have a letter plaque are Ellis, Rockwell, Nueces, Van Zandt, Hood, Reeves, Gillespie, Nacogdoches, Limestone, Howard, Burnet, San Augustine, Navarro, Pecos, Freestone, Brazos, Ward, Andrews, Erath, Rusk, Hardin, Crockett, Llano, Terrell, Hunt, Mongomery, Hopkins, Angelina, Midland, Aransas, Collin, Denton, Houston, Comal, Wise and Frio.

Stephens County is one of 15 state counties that currently have dedication ceremonies planned for 2026 and 2027.