1st Courthouse
Building Completion Date: 1877
County Seat: Belle Plain
Present Status: Gone
2nd Courthouse
Building Completion Date: 1883
County Seat: Baird
Present Status: Gone
3rd Courthouse
Building Completion Date: 1884
County Seat: Baird
Present Status: Gone
Architect: Frederick Ernst Ruffini
General Contractor: Captain James B. Smith (of Austin)
Building Materials/Description: Plans originated with W.W. Larmour (of San Antonio) but were used without permission by the contractor J. H. Walker for the Tom Green County courthouse – The supervising architect for the Tom Green County Courthouse was Oscar Ruffini who sent a copy of the plans and a photo of the courthouse to his brother Frederick Ernst Ruffini (of Austin) who in turn modified them for the Blanco County courthouse and for contractor Captain James B. Smith who then used the Ruffini design for the Callahan County Courthouse and the Concho County Courthouse. – Oscar Ruffini then reused the F. E. Ruffini plans for the Mills and Sutton County Courthouses.
4th Courthouse
Building Completion Date: 1900
County Seat: Baird
Building Materials/Description: No documentation regarding this courthouse’s existence has been found except for one postcard image entitled “Court House Baird, Texas” and postmarked 1911. Plan appears similar to J. R. Gordon designs. Commissioner’s court records indicate that Gordon was paid for something but the resulting building is only vaguely like a Gordon design.
5th Courthouse
Building Completion Date: 1929
County Seat: Baird
Present Status: Existing. Active.
Architectural Firm: Voelcker & Dixon
Architectural Style: Classical Revival
General Contractor: Suggs & Dunlap
Building Materials/Description: Brick, $122,000. Style sometimes referred to as “Texas Renaissance.”
