Gaines County is named for James Gaines, who was a merchant and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Surroundong County Courthouses:
N – Yoakum County and Terry County
E – Dawson County
S – Andrews County
W – Lea County, New Mexico
Created: August 21, 1876 
County Seat:
Seminole 1876 – present
County Courthouse – Seminole
Location: 101 South Main Street / East Avenue A
Built: 1921 – 1922
Style: Modern
Architect: Sanquist & Staats
Contractor: Dan Cobb
Description: The building faces west and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete Modern style structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Seminole. The building is a “T” shape with an east wing. The center section has a central glass entrance on the first story. Vertical pilasters divide the windows. The north and south wings are two story. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the walls have black colored marble on the lower half. The State District Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story and the County Court courtroom is located on the northeast side of the first story. The building houses the State District Court, Constitutional County Court and County Justice of the Peace. The building was remodeled and enlarged in 1955. The architect was Stiles, Roberts, Gee & Messersmith and the contractor was B F Horn. In 2011 the facilities were upgraded. The contractor was Noresco.
History: The county was created in 1876 and the county was attached to Bexar County and to Shackelford County in 1877 and then to Martin County in 1885. In 1905, the county was organized and Seminole was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built by Dan Cobb in 1906 at a cost of $5,000. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1921 to 1922 at a cost of $84,000. The building was remodeled in 1955 at a cost of $ 750,000.
County Courthouse - Seminole
Photos taken 2014 and 2019