This building served as the Hidalgo County Courthouse from its construction in 1886 until the County Seat was moved to Chapin (later name Edinburg) in 1908. Made of brick from nearby Reynosa, Mexico, it originally was a two-story structure. Its cupola, roof, and second floor were destroyed in an early 20th-century fire. An important building during the county's formative years, the old Courthouse later served as an immigration and customs facility.