Jeff Davis County, Texas

Jeff Davis County, in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas, is bordered by Culberson County to the northwest, Reeves and Pecos counties to the northeast, Brewster County to the southeast, and Presidio County to the southwest; the westernmost point of Jeff Davis County touches the Rio Grande.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Fort Davis – county seat | Madera Springs | Valentine

Courthouses

Jeff Davis County has had two courthouses: the first courthouse built in 1880 and the current one built in 1910-11.

Historical Marker text: Designed by the architectural firm of l. L. Thurman and Co. of Dallas, this building was erected in 1910-1911 and replaced the original 1880 adobe courthouse. This concrete and stone Classical Revival edifice, erected by the Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky, is dominated by a massive portico supported by Doric columns. Other distinctive design elements include the alternating horizontal bands of pink rusticated stone made of locally quarried materials and the Beaux Arts style clock tower, which features a Seth Thomas timepiece. The courthouse continues as the seat of local government.

History

Jeff Davis County History 1922. This county was part of Presidio County until 1887. when it was created and organized, and the county seat established at old Fort Davis. The troops of old Fort Davis did a valuable service many years in patrolling the border and guarding life and property against Indians and outlaws, but the post was abandoned by the Government in 1890. In the meantime a considerable settlement had grown up around the old fort, it had been the county seat of Presidio County from 1875. and though isolated from railroads it still retains its honors as the place of local government and also as one of the noted resorts of West Texas. In the vicinity of Fort Davis are the Davis Mountains, and at different points across the county are some of the highest mountain peaks in the South, many of them ranging between 4,000 and 6.000 feet in elevation, and several being over 8.000 feet. 

Location

Fort Davis, TX 30° 35′ 17.5596″ N, 103° 53′ 40.65″ W

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