History / Courthouse
Bell County Courthouse: Belton's 1884 landmark
The Bell County Courthouse in Belton, completed in 1884 from local limestone, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and anchors the county seat's historic downtown.
Bell County was created by the Texas Legislature on January 22, 1850, and named for Governor Peter H. Bell. The county seat, Belton, was platted the same year on land where Nolan Creek meets the site of today's Interstate 35. The current courthouse at 101 E. Central Ave was designed by architect Jasper N. Preston in the Renaissance Revival style using local limestone. Construction was completed in 1884.
The building covers about 33,000 square feet and originally featured a 125-foot clock tower topped with a Lady Justice statue. Alterations in 1950 removed some features, but a major 1998-1999 restoration project, funded in part by an ISTEA federal grant, rebuilt the clock tower, installed new clock mechanisms, and added a 12-foot Goddess of Justice statue. Total project costs exceeded $1.1 million.
The courthouse earned National Register of Historic Places status in 1976 and was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and State Antiquities Landmark in 1981. The Texas Historical Commission's Atlas database at atlas.thc.texas.gov (Atlas Number 4302000214) has the full record. The Bell County Historical Commission meets regularly in the courthouse's first-floor courtroom.
Source to confirm: THC Atlas – Bell County Courthouse (1884)