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 August 28, 2008 | Shelby County Courthouse Texas County Courthouse Project #43: Shelby County (Center, Texas) Shelby County is one of nine counties in the United States named for Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky and an American Revolution soldier. He fought in several battles including the Battle of Kings Mountain, where as a Colonel he led the “Overmountain Men” along side future first governor of Tennessee, Colonel John Sevier. Originally known as the Tenehaw Municipality in the Mexican government, Shelby County was formed by the first Congress of the Republic of Texas. Nashville, which was the largest town in the Tenehaw Municipality, changed its name to Shelbyville and became the county seat. In the late 1830’s a feud erupted in Shelby County and Harrison County known as the Regulator-Moderator War. Land disputes and cattle rustling were the cause and murders, hangings, corrupt sheriffs, intimidated courtrooms, ambushes and retaliations were the result. The feud lasted almost a decade before President Sam Houston sent a militia to into East Texas to bring peace to the area. Ironically, members of both the Regulators and Moderators were fighting side by side in the Mexican War just a few years later. An election was held in January of 1866 and Center was voted by the county residents as the new county seat. Officials in Shelbyville disputed the results and nothing was done for eight months. Finally in August of that year residents from Center snuck into Shelbyville and stole the court records and brought them back to Center. Center is named for…well, the fact that it’s in the center of Shelby County of coarse. The Shelby County courthouse was built by Ireland born J. J. E. Gibson in 1885. He chose to design the structure like the castles of his homeland and is now the only surviving Irish castle style courthouse in the United States. After over a century of service the courthouse was retired in 1992 and officials moved to a new building down the street (below). The old 1885 courthouse was restored and reopened in 2000 as a museum. 
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