Photo by Steven Butler.
Original is in the Freestone County Museum.


The original courthouse was a log cabin.  Pictured is the second Freestone
County Courthouse built in the county seat of Fairfield.  This was the first
brick constructed courthouse.  This picture was taken between 1861 and 1887 
(based on the wooden fence).

John Whitt was the contractor for building the courthouse that occurred between
1854 and 1856.  On May 24, 1854, John Whitt's bid of $7,830 was accepted.
Apparently the editor of the Leon Pioneer newspaper, W. D. Wood, thought that a
new courthouse was overdue as he wrote in the spring of 1855, "The District
Court, his honor Jewett on the bench, commenced its session on Monday, in the
church, instead of the little old board pen of a courthouse that heretofore
been used.  We are confident that the good people of Freestone will never
consent to the wretched discomfort of holding another session of court in the
old shanty, which infancy and want of means as a county once compelled them to
use and call a courthouse."  (While the court used the church, the church
trustees were paid $10 for the court session.)   

Apparently there was a change of plans in the foundation materials, as John had
to the court to agree to the change:  "It is ordered by the court, that said
contractor be allowed to use bricks instead of stone as named in his contract
in laying the foundation of the courthouse, provided a quorum of the building
committee approved of the materials and proposed change."  

When C. P. Whitt, John Whitt's executator, the final bill was $8330.  The
difference between the contract and final bill being the fixtures and
incidential labor costs.

W. R. Davis built a wood fence around the courthouse in the later part 1860.
In 1887, a wire fence replaced the wooden one.

This courthouse building served the county until 1892.