Lamar County is named for Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, who was the third president of the Republic of Texas from 1838 t0 1842.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Bryan County, Oklahoma and Choctaw County, Oklahoma
E – Red River County
S – Franklin County and Delta County
W – Fannin County
Created: December 17. 1840
County Seat:
Lafayette 1841 – 1842
Mount Vernon 1842 – 1844
Paris 1844 – present
County Courthouse – Paris
Location: 119 North Main Street / West Houston Street
Built: 1916 – 1917
Style: Classical Revival and Romanesque
Architect: William G Barry, Edwin R Smith, Elmer George Withers and Sanquinet & Staats of Fort Worth
Contractor: J C Buchanan and J N Gilder
Description: The building faces south and is a four story stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Paris. The porticoes on the first story have three stone arches. The building is faced with pink granite. Columns rise from the second story to the top of the fourth story dividing the windows. A balustrade runs along the roof line. On the west side is a one story addition. The large courtroom is located on the south side of the second story.
Note: The first courthouse was built in Lafayette 1841. No courthouse was built in Mount Vernon. The second courthouse was built in Paris in 1844, the third built in 1847 and the fourth built in 1873. Fifth courthouse was a Richardson Romaneque style structure designed by Sanguinet & Messer of Fort Worth and constructed by Martin Byrne & Johnston in 1896 to 1897. The building was destroyed by fire in 1916.

County Courthouse – Paris
















Picture 1897 Courthouse




Photos taken 2010 and 2019