Washita County is named for the Washita River which flows through the county and which name is a Native American word meaning “good hunting grounds” and “sparkling silver water”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Custer County
E – Caddo County
S – Kiowa County
W – Beckham County
Created: April 19, 1892 
County Seat:
Cloud Chief 1892 – 1900
Cordell 1900 – present
County Courthouse – Cordell
Location: 111 East Main Street / College Street
Built: 1910 – 1911
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Layton, Wemyss, Smith and Hawk
Contractor: Donathan & Moore
Description: The building faces east and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Cordell. The building has porticoes on the east and west sides with four white colored Ionic columns rising to pediments. A white colored horizontal band runs below the second story windows. On the center of the roof is a round open dome with white colored columns and dome at the top. The roof is flat. The east and west entrances are on the second story. The interior has a centrally located rotunda under the dome. The County District Court courtroom is located on the third story.The building houses the County District Court of the 2nd Judicial District.
Note: The impressive courthouse sits in the middle of the road. This unusual arrangement can be credited to A J Johnson and J C Harrel, who each donated half the land needed for a courthouse on either side of the section line later used to demarcate the highway.
See: The architect, Layton and Forsyth ( and associated firms ), designed courthouses in Beckham County, Carter County, Craig County, Creek County, Grady County, Greer County, Harmon County, Jefferson County, McIntosh County, Muskogee County, Okfuskee County, Oklahoma County and Pittsburg County.
See: The contractor, Donathan & Moore, constructed courthouses in Choctaw County and Osage County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Washita County Courthouse
See: The 2nd Judicial District includes Beckham County, Custer County, Ellis County and Roger Mills County.
History: The county was created in 1892 and Cloud Chief was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a wood frame structure in Cloud Chief in 1892. The courthouse was moved to Cordell in 1900 when the county seat was moved. The second courthouse was a frame structure built in 1902 and which burned in 1909. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1910 to 1911.
County Courthouse – Cordell
Photos taken 2010