Leon County is named for a yellow wolf which lived in the area and was nicknamed “leon” being the Spanish word for “lion”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Limestone County and Freestone County
E – Anderson County and Houston County
S – Madison County and Brazos County
W – Robertson County
Created: March 17, 1846 
County Seat:
Leona 1846 – 1850
Centerville 1850 – present
County Courthouse – Centerville
Location: 204 East Saint Mary’s Street / Commerce Street
Built: 1886 – 1887
Style: Italianate
Architect: William Johnson and George Edwin Dickey
Contractor: P G Gillen of Mississippi
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red-brown colored brick structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Centerville. The south front has a central entrance on the first story with small one story portico with four thin columns rising to a balcony on the second story. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the wainscoting is a dual color and there are many fireplaces although no longer functional. The ceilings on the first and second story are beaded limber rather than plaster and pressed metal. In the entrance lobby a narrow wood staircase ascends to the second story where the courtroom is located on the south side. The courtroom has a high 20 foot ceiling. The building houses the State District Court. The building was restored in 2007. The architect was Sinclair & Wright and the contractor was Phoenix I Restoration & Construction, Ltd.
Note: The architect William Johnson appears on the cornerstone, however Houston architect George Edwin Dickey was responsible for the building’s design.
Note: The courthouse is one of the oldest courthouses in Texas. On the east side of the courthouse is the old red colored brick jail and the one story red colored brick Courthouse Annex I. The jail was constructed by The South Structural Steel Company of San Antonio in 1913. The Courthouse Annex I was designed by Robert W Caldwell and Associates Planning Consulting and Russell L Stogsdill Architect and constructed by Thurmond & Stuart of Bryan in 1973.
History: The county was created in 1846 and Leona was selected as the county seat. In 1850, the county seat was moved to Centerville. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1851 at a cost of $2,200. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1858. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1886 at a cost of $28,000.
County Courthouse – Centerville
County Office – Centerville
Old County Jail – Centerville
Photos taken 2014