SQUARE TOPS – Looking at the Top – Wise County Courthouse

Once of the things that Texas is known for is the elaborately built County Courthouses. My hometown has one of the most iconic courthouses in the state. This is top of the Wise County Courthouse in Decatur, Texas. It is the masterpiece in the town square with the roadway and parking spaces separating it from 4 sides of shops & eateries. With architectural similarities to a castle, it is the fourth courthouse built in Decatur and was completed in 1896. The exterior is made of pink granite with the interior made of Vermont marble and total building cost was $110,000 which was considered quite excessive in those days. The clock and bell were commissioned upon completion at a cost of $1340.00. You can hear the ringing on the hour for miles. The complete building debt for this courthouse was paid off in 1945.

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