Coryell County Courthouse Closes Temporarily After Gatesville Fire Emergency Declaration

County Judge Roger A. Miller shuttered the historic Coryell County Courthouse under emergency powers on March 27, closing the 1897 East Main Street landmark to the public at 1:15 p.m. after determining that fire-related environmental conditions posed safety risks to county employees working inside.

The closure, formalized as Court Order CJ26-04, drew its authority from the Commissioners Court's extended disaster declaration (Order CC26-03), signed March 24. That order built on Judge Miller's original emergency declaration from March 17, issued the morning after a fire tore through four historic buildings on the west side of Gatesville's courthouse square on the evening of March 16. The State Fire Marshal's Office traced the blaze to the Gatesville Messenger building and ruled out criminal intent, but the surrounding block remained an active recovery zone with unstable structures and ongoing demolition through the weeks that followed.

Residents needing to file legal documents, access property records, apply for marriage licenses, or conduct other courthouse business were directed to contact the clerk's offices directly. County Clerk Jennifer Newton is reachable at 254-865-5911, ext. 143; District Clerk Becky Moore can be reached at the same main number. Standard hours for both offices run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court order expressly required that any motions or documents submitted during the closure be processed and filed on the next business day, March 30, preserving filing rights without penalizing anyone caught by the short interruption.

The courthouse reopened as scheduled Monday, March 30. The two-day closure was not the first fire-related service disruption. The County Court at Law jury scheduled for March 17 was cancelled entirely, and the 440th District Court jury panel for March 23 was redirected to the Leon Street Annex at 417 East Leon Street in Gatesville rather than the main courthouse.

Though the 1897 Romanesque Revival building was not directly damaged in the March 16 blaze, the environmental conditions lingering in the downtown area, including smoke residue, air quality concerns, and active demolition of structures on the west block of the courthouse square, drove the safety determination under the Texas Disaster Act. The Commissioners Court's extended declaration gave Judge Miller the legal framework to act quickly.

Recovery efforts continue beyond the courthouse. A relief fund for the 16 workers displaced from the destroyed businesses has already been distributed, and a community benefit event is scheduled for April 25 on the courthouse square.