After 45 years of courthouse fires, Texas counties implemented better document protection policies and suffered less record loss. Unfortunately, a few courthouses still endured damaging fires in the last decade of the 19th century. In this final installment of the complete list of Texas county courthouses, the next two decades of Texas history proved damaging to vital records.
County Courthouse Fires 1891 – 1916
A drastic reduction from years prior, less than one courthouse fire per year was reported and, though damaging, fires were responsible for little permanent record loss:
- 1891 - November 1891 was a challenging month in Angelina County, as the local courthouse caught fire. As a result, assessor and justice of the peace records were lost, despite many records being kept in safes.
- 1893 - In February 1893, Somervell County Courthouse caught fire, destroying nearly all court documents contained within the building. Marriage, probate, and land records were lost as a result.
- 1894 - A damaging fire raged through Hopkins County’s official district on February 11th, 1894. In addition to destroying the courthouse, the county jail and other buildings were ruined. Though record loss was minimal, it is estimated that some court documents were lost indefinitely.
- 1895 - With the exception of land records, the September 1895 fire of Titus County Courthouse destroyed all marriage, probate, and court documents in the building.
- 1896 - Though most records were likely saved, the November 1896 fire at Eastland County Courthouse did damage to existing court documents. Currently, the majority of records available are dated 1873 or later.
- 1899 - Spring 1899 devastated the Delta County Courthouse. Unlike other county courthouses, Delta County Courthouse kept records in a fireproof vault. As a result, very few records were lost to the flames. Specifically, current cases located in the district clerk’s office at the time of the fire were consumed.
- 1900 - Marriage, assessor, and judge records were destroyed in the June 1900 fire of Jackson County Courthouse. Official court documents exist as early as 1936, but researchers can expect a gap in documentation at the turn of the century.
- 1910 - A decade passed before the next Texas county courthouse fire. On August 9th, 1910, Stonewall County Courthouse was enveloped in flames, resulting in the loss of judge, law enforcement, land, and tax records.
- 1914 - In the nearly 60 years since Texas joined the Union, King County Courthouse escaped ruination from fires, tornadoes, and other disasters. In 1905, a tornado destroyed King County Courthouse. Nine years later, the structure was destroyed by a fire, resulting in total loss of documents.
- 1916 - In March 1916, residents of Lamar County witnessed the local courthouse become consumed by flames. The district clerk’s office, an area of the building suffering the most damage, and stored records were lost. Vital records, such as birth and marriage documents, were not affected.
Though courthouse fires resulting in loss of records became less common in the 20th century, isolated incidents are found scattered throughout the century. The rise of cloud-based computing, and computing in general, revolutionized the way we research, learn, and grow, while protecting sensitive information against accidental loss.
* Some information courtesy of Genealogy Inc.
