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Texas County Progress

Texas County Progress

The Official Publication of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas

Milam County Courthouse

December 23, 2024 by Julie Anderson

The Milam County Courthouse was completed in 1892 in a Renaissance Revival Style and renovated in 2002. The three-story, native limestone building, a National Register Property, is described as follows on the historical marker:

“This is the fourth structure to serve as the Milam County Courthouse. The local Masonic Lodge laid the cornerstone for the building on July 4, 1891. Designed by architect A.O. Watson of Austin, the courthouse at one time featured a Second Empire style roof and a cupola with a four-sided clock. The clock was removed and the roof altered in a 1938 renovation project by the Federal Works Progress Administration. As the center of county government for over a century, the courthouse stands as a significant part of Milam County history.”

The 2002 restoration project resulted in a reconstructed clock tower, a new roof, and a new goddess of justice.

One of the original 23 counties in Texas, Milam County once encompassed one-sixth of the land area of the state. In fact, 54 counties were carved out of early Milam County.

The original county seat was Sarahville. According to an article in the Texas Telegraph published in September 1837, “Sarahville, situated at the Great Falls of the Brazos, was the county seat…but the depredations of the Indians have compelled the inhabitants to abandon their homes.” As a result, Nashville was named the county seat.

In 1842 county government was transferred to Caldwell, where it remained until 1846 when Burleson County was created. Nashville became the county seat once again until the Commissioners Court selected Cameron as the permanent county capital.

Cameron was named for Scot Ewen Cameron, a leader of the Mier Expedition. As explained by the chamber of commerce, “Cameron was settled by diverse groups of pioneers in the 1840s. It is not unusual to hear Czech, German, and Spanish – mingled with distinctive Texas drawls – still being spoken by some Cameron residents,” https://www.cameron-tx.com/.

When the 1875 Milam County Jailhouse grew too crowded in the 1890s, it was removed to make room for larger facilities. This jail, designed with Romanesque revival features and stone detailing above the windows, had three main floors and a “hanging tower” equipped with a trap door. The tower was never used for executions because most hangings took place outdoors. The first floor had 10 rooms; three were used for storage, and the remainder served as a residence for the sheriff and his family. The second and third stories consisted of cell blocks for prisoners. In 1975 a new county jail was constructed, and the Commissioners Court turned the facility over to the Milam County Historical Commission. After renovation in 1978, it was opened as a museum.

The Cameron Christmas Festival, Parade, and Fireworks will take place on Dec. 5 with a theme of “Christmas Through the Years: Past, Present, and Future.”

Filed Under: Feature Story, Monuments of Justice Tagged With: Milam County, Monuments of Justice

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