History
Rosenberg High School Graduation, 1911Rosenberg High School, The Brahma Log, 1938
Our Courthouse
On April 19, 1838, Robert Handy and William Lusk deeded a block of land in Richmond for use as a courthouse square, now located at Morton and 5th streets. No courthouse was built there until 1850. Prior to this courthouse, court met at a house purchased from William Lusk in June 1842, for $600.00. This location has since been washed away by the Brazos River. In 1849, John H. Herndon was appointed to build a new courthouse on the courthouse square for $6000.00, which opened for business in 1850. By the 1870s, this courthouse grew inadequate for the needs of the county so a building on Morton Street was purchased in 1871 from C.H. Kendall. The courthouse filled the lower two floors and the upper floor was used as a Masonic lodge. This building was destroyed by fire in 1887. The fourth courthouse was built on the square in 1888 by B. F. Trester and this was the courthouse that saw the Jaybird-Woodpecker War. It was a two-story brick Victorian courthouse with bell tower and clock that burned ca. 1930.The Jackson Street Courthouse was built in 1908 at a cost of $75,000.00 with the land purchased for $6750.00. The courthouse was dedicated on Jan. 19, 1909, at 401 Jackson Street in Richmond to serve the 18,168 residents of Fort Bend.
Designed by C.H. Page and Brothers, the old court house building is a mix of brick and stone, with turrets and a copper dome, with a distinct three-story rotunda. The building's mosaic-tile flooring and green glazed-tile wainscoting have been used as the backdrop of several films and documentaries as well as the location for many high-profile civil and criminal cases.
An addition was added in 1935, and again in 1957 which completed the present courthouse building. In 1980, the 1909 Courthouse was accepted for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the first structure in Fort Bend County to receive such an honor.
Between 1980 and 1981, the entire Courthouse was renovated to its original grandeur at a cost of $3 million. Since that time, windows have been replaced using a state highway grant. In 2009, the county celebrated the courthouse's 100th birthday.
In 2008, Fort Bend County residents voted to construct a new Fort Bend County Judicial Complex to meet the judicial needs of the county's growing population. The new complex will consolidate all courts and judicial support functions at one location. It will also house the offices of the District and County Courts of Fort Bend County, the District Attorney, the District Clerk and the County Clerk's judicial support staff. Room to add additional courts that will be created by the state legislature as the county continues to grow has been included in the design of the new complex. And for the first time in many years, adequate parking space will be available. Since the new complex was dedicated July 5, 2011, the 1908 Courthouse has been carefully restored and preserved for future generations to enjoy as part of Fort Bend's rich history.