Refugio County Courthouse
building in Refugio, Refugio County, Texas
The Refugio County Courthouse, at 808 Commerce in Refugio, Texas, is a courthouse which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
It was built in 1917 in a Mission style design by architect Atlee B. Ayres. It was greatly enlarged and renovated in 1951 into a Moderne style design by Irving H. Dunbar.
The listing included the courthouse, as a contributing building and also two contributing objects. One is a 1936 historical marker provided by the Texas Highway Department as part of Texas's Centennial celebration.
The public source identifies “Refugio County Courthouse” as building in Refugio, Refugio County, Texas. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Refugio, County and Courthouse.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Refugio County Courthouse”, the useful work is to connect “building in Refugio, Refugio County, Texas” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q56278094. Authority coordinates are 28.297, -97.275. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002, 1917, 1951 and 1936.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Refugio County Courthouse”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Refugio County Courthouse primary sources, Refugio County Courthouse archive and Refugio research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Refugio County Courthouse”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Refugio County Courthouse” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.