The Wharton County Courthouse was built in 1889 in a Second Empire style as designed by noted Texas architect Eugene Thomas Heiner.
The county capitol was rededicated in 2007 following a restoration project that included the demolition of the 1940s additions that had surrounded the building. The renewed exterior resulted in a replicated pressed metal shingle roof and a clock tower. The courthouse interior was restored to its appearance just prior to the devastating hurricane of 1900. The project was part of the Texas Historical Commission (THC) Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
“This project is notable as one of the most dramatic restorations undertaken in this program,” the THC shared.
Wharton County was carved from parts of Colorado, Jackson, and Matagorda counties in 1846. Both the county and county seat of Wharton were named for brothers John Austin and William Harris Wharton, who were active participants in the Texas Revolution.
The Colorado River traverses the county from northwest to southeast, basically dividing the county in half.
Prior to the Civil War, Wharton County was home to the largest plantation and sugar mill in the Lone Star State. In fact, Wharton, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Matagorda counties became known as the “Texas Sugar Bowl” due to their sugar cane production. Following the Civil War, cattle raising became the county’s lead industry; in the 1900s, Wharton County was deemed the second-largest cattle-producing area in the state.
The county was also known for its rice production, thanks to irrigation from three canal systems built from the Colorado River. During the early 1900s, Wharton County housed the two largest pumping plants in Texas. To this day, the county is still considered one of the state’s leading rice producers.
There are 51 Historical Markers and War Memorials in Wharton County, listed at https://bit.ly/wharton-history.
One of the markers offers a glimpse into the founding of the county seat in 1846. Land for a courthouse, named Monterey Square, was given from the land grant of William Kincheloe, one of Stephen F. Austin’s “Old Three Hundred” colonists who settled in the area in 1822. The townsite was surveyed by Virgil Stewart and William J. E. Heard, and the rich farmland attracted many settlers.
Another marker gives a snapshot of El Campo, which began as a camp on the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railroad in 1882. Initially known as Prairie Switch, the town served as a supply and shipping center for area ranchers. By the 1890s, the town had grown to include a post office, homes, businesses, schools, and churches. Fires in 1896 and 1901 destroyed much of the downtown area, but the city was rebuilt.
Special area attractions include the completely restored Plaza Theater, Riverfront Park, located along the banks of the Colorado River, and the Wharton County Historical Museum.
