BONUS: Old Hidalgo County Courthouse (Hidalgo)

Year Built: 1886

Architect: Samuel “S.W.” Brooks.

The Old Hidalgo County Courthouse is located in the City of Hidalgo, Texas. This community is situated right on the Rio Grande River and is a port of entry from Mexico to the United States.

Old town Hidalgo is a charming community, that now sits in the shadow of the border wall.  Its importance as a government center was hugely diminished when the county seat was re-located to Chapin in 1908. Chapin eventually came to be called Edinburg, and remains the county seat of Hidalgo County.

The Old Courthouse seen here was significantly damaged by a fire in the 20th Century. it was rebuilt in 2014.

Marker Text:

This building served as the Hidalgo County Courthouse from its construction in 1886 until the County Seat was moved to Chapin (later name Edinburg) in 1908. Made of brick from nearby Reynosa, Mexico, it originally was a two-story structure. Its cupola, roof, and second floor were destroyed in an early 20th-century fire. An important building during the county’s formative years, the old Courthouse later served as an immigration and customs facility.