Texas counties have succumbed to nearly 15 fires in the 30 years since the republic joined the union. Outpacing previous decades, the 1870’s proved to be filled with destruction and unwelcome surprises, as every year there was at least one recorded courthouse fire. Between marriage, land, probate and other county records, many documents were lost in this short period of time.
County Courthouse Fires 1873-1877
In the four short years between 1873 and 1877, 9 courthouse fires took place resulting in partial or total loss of court records:
- 1873 - The first in a series of 5 fires to destroy this structure, Llano County Courthouse was engulfed in flames in December 1873. Subsequent fires occurred in 1880, 1892, 1932, and 1951. In October 1880, the courthouse was presumed to be set ablaze by criminals, though no accounts of arrest for the alleged crime are available.
- 1874 - In the spring of 1874, Milam County Courthouse sustained a structure fire causing complete loss of the building and its contents. To date, records for Milam County prior to 1873 are unavailable.
- 1874 - A month after the Milam County Courthouse fire, Parker County Courthouse was destroyed by fire. In the aftermath of the May 1874 fire, nearly all of Parker County Courthouse’s official documents were declared ruined.
- 1875 - A prime example of not making the same mistake twice, officials at Rockwall County Courthouse instituted new fire protection rules to keep records safe after a March 1875 fire engulfed nearly all records. Seventeen years later, Rockwall County Courthouse caught on fire, but all records were saved.
- 1875 - Within weeks of Rockwall County’s courthouse fire, Hood County Courthouse was destroyed by a structure fire of unknown origin. All land, marriage, court, and probate records prior to 1875 were lost to the flames.
- 1875 - In 19th-century Texas, Sabine County Courthouse would suffer the same fate as Milam County Courthouse more than a year later in November of this year. Like Milam, most of Sabine County’s official records, including land and marriage records, were destroyed.
- 1875 - In an unfortunate Christmas Eve event, Denton County Courthouse was consumed by fire in December 1875. Because nearly all county records were irreparably damaged, many seeking land or family records must find another way conduct research.
- 1876 - The beginning of April 1876 would prove challenging for the residents of Tarrant County, as the courthouse’s lower room caught fire, which quickly spread to the rest of the building. No records were able to be retrieved after surveying the extent of the damage.
- 1877 - After months of local squabbles over cattle, the Mason County HooDoo War led to the property destruction by fire. The Mason County Courthouse was destroyed on January 1877, signaling the total loss of court records.
With less than 25 years left in the century, Texas had years yet before the rate of courthouse fires began to subside. In the 1880’s, fewer courthouses were completely destroyed, but many records and vital documents were lost. Find out more about Texas county courthouse fires in the next installment of this series.
* Some information courtesy of Genealogy Inc.
