Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Haunted Coryell County Courthouse - Gatesville
Some buildings just hold onto their stories. The Coryell County Courthouse in Gatesville has been doing that since 1897, and apparently, at least one of those stories doesn't want to leave.
We're in Gatesville exploring one of the most stunning courthouses in all of Texas. Architect Wesley Clark Dodson designed this Beaux Arts beauty, modifying the traditional cross-axial floor plan to allow for a central tower Wikipedia, a bold move for the era, and one that paid off. Limestone and red sandstone blocks were cut to size at the quarry, then hauled here by horse-drawn wagon. Texas Time Travel The result? A building that looks like it was meant to last forever. And it has.
But here's the part that gets people talking. The courthouse is said to be haunted by a male spirit known as "Elroy." Cold breezes roll through the corridors, furniture moves on its own, and visitors have felt an unseen presence brush past them in the halls. Haunted Places A local artist's oil painting of the courthouse from the 1990s even includes a shadowy figure peering out a second-floor window over Main Street. KWTX
Whether you believe in all that or not, the building itself is worth the drive.
The cornerstone was laid on October 2, 1897, and contains a time capsule complete with bottles of whiskey and brandy. When the framework went up, a Scottish mason climbed to the top of the building at the end of every workday to play his bagpipes. And that owl carved into the east arch instead of a flower? That was the result of a bet over a bucket of beer. Gatesville Texas
Texas history doesn't get any better than that. I'll see you on the road.
Coryell County Courthouse | 620 E. Main St., Gatesville, TX
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Check out our Texas-sized collection of day trip gear at The Daytripper Online Store: store.thedaytripper.com
And be sure to visit the Daytripper World Headquarters store in Downtown Georgetown, TX! Get directions here: thedaytripper.com/daytripper-headquarters
The Haunted Coryell County Courthouse - Gatesville
Some buildings just hold onto their stories. The Coryell County Courthouse in Gatesville has been doing that since 1897, and apparently, at least one of those stories doesn't want to leave.
We're in Gatesville exploring one of the most stunning courthouses in all of Texas. Architect Wesley Clark Dodson designed this Beaux Arts beauty, modifying the traditional cross-axial floor plan to allow for a central tower Wikipedia, a bold move for the era, and one that paid off. Limestone and red sandstone blocks were cut to size at the quarry, then hauled here by horse-drawn wagon. Texas Time Travel The result? A building that looks like it was meant to last forever. And it has.
But here's the part that gets people talking. The courthouse is said to be haunted by a male spirit known as "Elroy." Cold breezes roll through the corridors, furniture moves on its own, and visitors have felt an unseen presence brush past them in the halls. Haunted Places A local artist's oil painting of the courthouse from the 1990s even includes a shadowy figure peering out a second-floor window over Main Street. KWTX
Whether you believe in all that or not, the building itself is worth the drive.
The cornerstone was laid on October 2, 1897, and contains a time capsule complete with bottles of whiskey and brandy. When the framework went up, a Scottish mason climbed to the top of the building at the end of every workday to play his bagpipes. And that owl carved into the east arch instead of a flower? That was the result of a bet over a bucket of beer. Gatesville Texas
Texas history doesn't get any better than that. I'll see you on the road.
Coryell County Courthouse | 620 E. Main St., Gatesville, TX
Thanks for subscribing - bit.ly/3TL61AO
FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES.
thedaytripper.com
Instagram : instagram.com/chettripper
TikTok: tiktok.com/@chettripper
Facebook : facebook.com/thedaytrippertv
Twitter : twitter.com/chettripper
Check out our Texas-sized collection of day trip gear at The Daytripper Online Store: store.thedaytripper.com
And be sure to visit the Daytripper World Headquarters store in Downtown Georgetown, TX! Get directions here: thedaytripper.com/daytripper-headquarters
