Rains County, Texas, Courthouse Photo Print

"Rains County, Texas, Courthouse" by Catherine Sherman. The Rains County Courthouse sits in the center of county seat Emory, Texas. Built in 1909, the courthouse building is Rains County's third. The courthouse was built in a Classical Revival architecture style with a cruciform shape, with two-story projecting wings at each corner. Each of the three main entrances to the courthouse features ten-foot wide concrete steps and peaked metal fascias over the doors. The exterior is a light colored brick. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, Number 10860. Besides serving as the seat of county government, the Rains County Courthouse and surrounding public square have been the center of major events and social activities. In 1891 the courthouse square was the site of the only public hanging to take place in Rains County. Such notable political figures as Texas State Legislator and later U.S. Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, and United States Senator and later President Lyndon Johnson have used the square in Emory for public speaking. The county and county seat were both named for Emory Rains, a Texas state legislator. It is the fourth-smallest county in Texas by land area and fifth-smallest by total area. A memorial on the courthouse stands "In Memory of Rains County Servicemen who lost their lives in time of war while serving our country."