Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County Collection

Tarrant County Archives > Holdings > Named Collections > D > Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County

Image shows a vertical view looking up at a dome skylight. The circular center window has 16 spokes radiating outwards. The walls of the dome have vertical, rectangular moldings. There is a wooden plaque on the green wall below the skylight with a carving of the Tarrant County Courthouse. The plaque was made by inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The upper parts of the two sets of double doors are visible on either side of the green wall.

Dome skylight and wooden wall art by main doors, digital image, by Amanda M. Hill, 2023

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County Collection consists of architectural drawings and plans, maps, images, digital materials, publications, and artifacts.

Maps and Architectural Drawings

  • City of Arlington Texas, reproduction of map, by Freese, Nichols and Endress Consulting Engineers, undated
  • Elementary School Districts - Fort Worth Independent School District, map, prepared by the City of Fort Worth Planning Department, August 3, 1962 (image shown at right)
  • Tarrant County Justice of the Peace and Constable, Election Administration Base Map, prepared by Tarrant County Public Works Department, revised January 1994
  • Civil Courts Building Second Floor Plan Job No. 4928 Sheet No. A-5, architectural drawing, by Wyatt C. Hedrick, October 26, 1956
  • Old Civil Courts Building Second Floor Plan, architectural drawing, 1950s-1970s
  • Old Civil Courts Building Second Floor Plan, with handwritten square footage estimates, architectural drawing, 1950s-1970s
  • Civil Courts Building Law Library, architectural drawings, September 5, 1975
  • Conference Room Floor Plans, architectural drawings, undated
  • Law Library Storage, architectural drawing, undated
  • Third Floor Plan, 1895 Courthouse Renovation, architectural drawings, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, May 5, 1981
  • Fourth Floor Plan, 1895 Courthouse Renovation, architectural drawing, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, circa 1980
  • Restoration of the Tarrant County Courthouse: Proposed Fourth Floor Law Library Floor Plan, architectural drawing, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, circa 1980
  • Renovation of the Tarrant County Courthouse, Western Side of Fourth Floor and Law Library, architectural drawing, circa 1980
  • Law Library, architectural drawing, by RRP, undated
  • Pencil Sketch of Fourth Floor main Law Library space, architectural drawing, circa 1980 (image shown at middle right)
  • Pencil sketch of Fourth Floor Law Library offices and portions of stacks, architectural drawing, circa 1980
  • Pencil sketch showing variation of Fourth Floor Law Library space, architectural drawing, circa 1980

Architectural Drawings - Digital Images Only

  • Heating for Tarrant County Courthouse Job No. 1153 Sheet No. F, scans of architectural drawings, by Sanguinet and Staats Architects, December 11, 1917
  • Renovation of the Tarrant County Courthouse, Sheet A3.22, scan of architectural drawing, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, circa 1980
  • Renovation of the Tarrant County Courthouse, Sheet A3.33, Law Library Fourth Floor space, scan of architectural drawing, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, circa 1980
  • Renovation of the Tarrant County Courthouse, Sheet A3.45, ventilation shaft and dumbwaiter, scan of architectural drawing, by Ward Bogard and Associates; Burson, Hendricks, and Walls Architects, circa 1980

Digital Images

  • Jim Wright wearing cowboy hat and boots seated on horse, scan of color poster with printed-in inscription, by Madison Printing Co., undated
  • View of old reference desk at 77th anniversary and grand reopening of Dell Dehay Law Library of Tarrant County, digital image, by Amanda M. Hill, October 2022 (image shown at lower right)
  • Dome skylight and wooden wall art by Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County doors, digital image, by Amanda M. Hill, 2023 (image shown top left)

Publications

  • La Vida News, The Black Voice, Volume 64, Number 29, Thursday May 9-Wednesday May 15, 2024
  • Tarrant County Civil Courts Interior Renovation Conceptual Drawings, bound color images, by HOK, Inc. and HKS Architects, undated
  • Tarrant County Law Enforcement Memorial, program and publication, May 30, 20024

Artifacts

  • Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard challenge coin, artifact, 2024

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County facilitates access to justice by maintaining legal research materials for the Tarrant County legal community and the general public. The Law Library was established in 1944 by Commissioners Court but did not officially open its doors until October 1945. Back then, the Law Library served predominantly local attorneys and judges. Over the next thirty years, the Law Library's staff and collections grew. Originally located in the 1895 Courthouse and connected to the Second Court of Appeals, the Law Library moved to the Old Civil Courts Building in 1958. By 1979, the library had received acclaim for its services, in large part, due to Dell DeHay, who served as Librarian from 1962 to 1979. That year, the Law Library was renamed the Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County in her honor. Continued growth and expansion led the Law Library to move to its present quarters on the fourth floor of the 1895 Courthouse during the 1983 renovation. For more about the Law Library's history, visit their History Timeline.

Amanda M. Hill, Assistant Director

Dell DeHay Law Library of Tarrant County

 

 

Yellow map showing outlines of elementary schools districts. A vertical index on the front right edge contains school numbers, school names, address, and map grid numbers.

Elementary School Districts - Fort Worth Independent School District, map, 1962

 

 

Pencil sketch on graph or gridline paper showing the main law library space on the fourth floor of the 1895 Courthouse. Drawings include an estimated 6,000 linear feet of shelf space, desks, seating, and reference desk.

Pencil sketch of Fourth Floor main Law Library space, architectural drawing, circa 1980

 

 

Old reference desk at 77th anniversary and grand reopening, digital image, by Amanda M. Hill, October 2022