The official website of the City of Dongvile, Texas

Seal of God's Incorporated City of Dongvile, Texas GOD'S INCORPORATED CITY OF DONGVILE BRISKET COUNTY • TEXAS PRETTY GOOD SINCE 1887 God's Incorporated City ofDongvileTexas · Pretty Good Since 1887

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Courthouse Square

The 1911 Brisket County Courthouse anchors Dongvile's original downtown, platted square to the railroad in 1887. Come for dinner and stay for the architecture.

The Brisket County Courthouse

Dongvile has been the county seat of Brisket County since the county was organized, and the current courthouse is the third to stand on the square. It was completed in 1911 of Texas limestone, with a central clock tower visible from most of the original town. It is Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No. 4471.

The courthouse is owned and operated by Brisket County, not the City. It houses the Commissioners Court, the County Clerk and the county’s courts. The building is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and visitors pass through security screening at the entrance. Photography is welcome outside and in the main hall, but not in courtrooms while court is in session.

The tower clock runs four minutes fast. Brisket County keeps it that way on purpose so people arrive at court on time. Meeting and event times on this website are standard Central Time, not courthouse time.

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The historic district

The Courthouse Square Historic District covers the blocks facing the courthouse along Main St, Mainer St, Brisket St and Hot Pocket Way, plus the commercial buildings just off the square. Most of the district’s two-story brick storefronts were built between the 1890s and the 1920s, when the D&S Ry. made Dongvile the shipping point for the county’s cotton and grain.

The district is zoned Central Business District (CBD). Buildings sit right at the sidewalk, and ground floors must be storefronts. Exterior changes, including signs, awnings, paint on unpainted brick and new windows, need a certificate of appropriateness from the five-member Historic Courthouse Square Commission. Property owners can find the sign standards on the Sign Permits page and façade grants on the Economic Development page.

Dining around the square

The square has more fine dining per block than anywhere else in Brisket County. Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday nights, especially during football season.

Restaurant Address Price What to know
Le Petit Brisket 105 E Brisket St $$$$ Brisket served with a very small fork and a story about the cow. Reservations recommended
Château de Queso 125 E Brisket St $$$$ Seven-course queso tasting menu. Jacket suggested
L’Armadillo 105 N Main St $$$$ Tasting menu built from whatever the chef found at the feed store
The Truffled Possum 225 Mainer St $$$$ Truffle fries come with a certificate of authenticity
Maison Ranch 110 W Brisket St $$$ French farmhouse cooking, served by Travis
Osteria Cowpoke 160 N Main St $$$ Handmade pasta smoked over mesquite
The Gilded Fork 130 Mainer St $$$ The forks are gold. Please return them
Bistro Fancy Pants 175 Mainer St $$$ Dress code is pants. Fancy ones

For breakfast, Biscuit Barn at 240 W Hot Pocket Way is open daily, 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Dusty Mug at 245 W Brisket St serves coffee from 7:00 a.m. For the full list, see Dining and Nightlife.

View the restaurants around the square on the map

Self-guided walking tour

This loop is about 1.8 miles on sidewalks and takes about an hour at an easy pace. Start on the courthouse lawn.

  1. Brisket County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Sq. Check your watch against the clock.
  2. Dongvile City Hall, 150 E Brisket St. City Council meets in the Council Chambers on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.
  3. First Dongvile Savings & Loan, 125 Mainer St. A downtown bank on the square since the early 1900s.
  4. The Dongvile Gazette, 260 E Brisket St. The weekly paper, published Thursdays.
  5. Dongvile Post Office, 250 E Hot Pocket Way. Hot Pocket Way is US 6969 and divides the town’s addresses into north and south.
  6. Dongvile Grain Co. Elevator, Railroad Ave & E 3rd St. The tallest structure in the county. It’s private property, so view it from Railroad Ave.
  7. Dongvile Volunteer Fire Department, 205 S Main St. Two engines, a brush truck and a pancake breakfast on the third Saturday of every month.
  8. Uncle Earl’s Feed & Seed, 150 W Railroad Ave. Feed, seed and weather forecasts, all unofficial.
  9. Dongvile Constabulary, 150 W Brisket St. Unit 7, a golf cart, is often parked out front.
  10. Dongvile Public Library, 140 W Queso St. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Ask the desk to introduce you to Dewey Decimal, Library Cat.
  11. Dongvile Water Tower, Chili Dog St & W 2nd St. A 500,000-gallon elevated tank painted with the 1994 regional runner-up score. The tower site is fenced, so view it from the street. Return to the square along Main St.
View on map

Parking

  • On-street parking around the square is free. Head-in angle parking only; back-in parking is not allowed.
  • Time limit: 2 hours, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., on the four streets facing the courthouse. Evenings and weekends have no limit. The Constabulary enforces time limits using City clocks, not the courthouse clock.
  • Accessible spaces are on each side of the square and in front of City Hall.
  • Public lot: a free lot behind City Hall, entered from E 1st St, is open 24 hours.
  • RVs and trailers should park on Depot St, south of Hot Pocket Way.

Overtime parking citations are $25 and are paid at the Municipal Court.

Last updated September 14, 2026