Morgan MorellM. Brandon FrankeHistory 1302-N03May 13, 2014Harris County CourthouseCourthouses are an important part of a county's system of government. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of a courthouse is normally a judge and jury convicting someone, but we actually use a courthouse for many things. Of all the courthouses that still exist in Texas, I chose to research the largest courthouse in Texas. John Richardson Harris was the founder of Harrisburg. During the Texas Revolution, most of Harrisburg was destroyed by Santa Anna's forces. After the Revolution ended, Houston was founded west of Harrisburg and was named the Harrisburg County seat and capital of the Republic of Texas. Harrisburg County was later shortened to Harris County after the city of Harrisburg was destroyed. The county seat was moved to Houston in 1837 and that's where the courthouse was built, in part because Houston had "a lively commercial atmosphere." There were five courthouses in Houston all occupying the same land chosen by Houston's founders, the Allen brothers. The fifth courthouse built was the one that is still in use today, its construction began in 1909 and was completed the following year in 1910. "Since its official opening on November 15, 1910 and its dedication on he Independence of Texas on March 2, 1911, the 1910 Harris County Courthouse symbolizes strength, justice, good government and security. The Harris County Courthouse is located exactly on the corner of Congress and San Jacinto Street. The address is 49 San Jacinto St #303 Houston, Texas. The Harris County Courthouse was designed by Charles Erwin Barglebaugh. He was an architect from Dallas who... middle of paper ... felt like he was in the courthouse. “To restore the interior, historic preservationists had to rely on remains found in the original building, historic photographs, of which few existed, memories of county residents who worked at or visited the courthouse before the renovation...". “The 1910 courthouse closed in 2006 and the actual construction phase began in February 2009.” The Harris County Courthouse is a beautiful historic building located in the heart of downtown Houston. Because courthouses are a very important landmark to the counties, they are also valuable pieces of history that we can learn a lot from. After the renovation of the Harris County Courthouse, the history of the courthouse will expand further in my opinion. Without John Richardson Harris and the Allen Brothers, the City of Houston and Harris County would not be what they are today..