Sutton County Courthouse (Sonora)

Architect: Oscar Ruffini.

Year Built: 1891.

The Sutton County Courthouse in Sonora, Texas is a prime example of the Second Empire style.

Oscar Ruffini designed numerous Texas courthouses, including the courthouses in Mills County, Crockett County and Sterling County. He also almost all of the earliest churches in San Angelo, in addition to a 36 buildings in a four-block area of downtown, and numerous residences, the old San Angelo Waterworks and other projects.  His brother F.E. “Ernst” Ruffini was also an architect who designed courthouses in Texas.

From the Texas Historical marker:

This building site of all land transactions incident to development of county. Water well, a few feet from building, was first water here, where sheepmen watered their flocks, hence locating here as a home. Father of founder of the townsite killed father of one of West Texas’ most prominent families on site of Courthouse over argument concerning watering sheep.