After two decades and $5.7 million dollars, the newly renovated Marion County Courthouse opened its doors to the public on Saturday.
Dozens of guests and dignitaries assembled to celebrate and dedicate the grand re-opening of the historic house of county government.
Judges, commissioners were on hand along with guests from across the state.
The building was built in 1913 and has long been in need of repair.
The festivities included a ribbon cutting.
Local historian, and Jimplecute contributor, Marcia Thomas had the honor of cutting the ribbon.
Thomas’s great-grandfather was a county commissioner when the building was built in 1913.
The event also included three cannon shots from a replica Texas Revolution cannon.
The renovation project saw most of the original features of the building restored.
Located at 102 West Austin St., the hub of county government is now back in operation and open for business.
The three-story building houses the offices of the county judge, commissioners, treasurer, county clerk, county auditor, district attorney and district clerk.
The $5.7 million renovation is a project that has taken 20 years to see to fruition.
It was funded through a $4.7 million grant awarded by the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP) in 2018.
The remaining $1 million was funded from public coffers and authorized by the Commissioners Court who began saving money for their part of the project 20 years ago.
Former Marion County judges Lex Jones, Phil Parker and Gene Terry were all on hand at the dedication.
As were other judges from neighboring counties.
The project-itself consisted of a three year renovation overseen by Komatsu Architecture in Fort Worth and Joe R. Jones Construction in Weatherford.
Historical accuracy was ensured by the Texas Historical Commission.