We came into Athens to get my son's passport renewed because everything in Dallas was booked a…read moremonth out with no way to make an appointment. The district clerk in Athens does not accept appointments. We were able to walk in and be done in 15 minutes. The place I had the photo taken cropped it too close. But they took a replacement for only $5!!! It was almost $13 at the Ups store and I think Dallas passport offices were charging $22. The woman in the office was supper friendly and helpful. The inside of the building is neat because of all the black and white marble.

I missed the annual Christmas Parade, since I was working in Frankston, but I did get to see the…read moreChristmas Party afterwards. There were lots of inflatable slides & bouncy-houses. I love how the courthouse yard & street was all decorated with lights & stuff, they did a great job on that. Many local churches & businesses had different booths set up. I helped with the Eastern Hills Church Of Christ booth (smores & an inflatable slide nearby), & cleaning up afterwards. There were also speakers playing various Christmas tunes, but not too loud that you couldn't have a conversation. It was a little hard finding restrooms, though (perhaps in some various buildings & shops in the area?). I parked over by Railway Cafe & Come & Take It, some may have parked closer, near the Annex. It was a great location for a city-wide Christmas party, or any other city-wide get-together.

Was on my way to Dallas to Houston for a New Years party and got stopped for a "no front license…read moreplate" and the officer noticed that my wife's state inspection had expired. *sigh*. We spent part of the day, New Years Eve, getting new tires and getting the current on our inspection. We returned here on Jan 2 to get our ticket dismissed. If your ticket is more than 60 days expired, it can't be dismissed but if you are within that time period and you get your car inspected within 20 days of the ticket, you can get it dismissed. We arrive at the building, looking for the Justice of the Peace Room 204. I expected 204 to be on the second floor, but they have one of the rooms on the first floor relabeled as 207, so who knows. We walk around and finally ask a lady in one of the rooms where we're to go, she says, "I have no idea. Go down to probation and see if they can tell you." Luckily probation says to go upstairs and it's there. We get up there and there's no one up there but there is a window for JP Precinct 4 and the clerk comes to help us. I explain the situation and she asks for the $20 payment and she says, "Okay, would you like me to send you a letter for the dismissal?" "Yes please." And that was it. Then I thought to myself, what if it doesn't get dismissed and/or I don't get the dismissal letter? So I go back and ask them if I can have some kind of receipt to at least show that I tried to take care of the citation. She stamps my inspection report and writes that she received the money and information. *Then* we leave. Today, Jan 4, I get a letter in the mail that says the ticket has been dismissed.

What a nice little stop! Super friendly staff - I wish I remembered her name - with some great…read moreresources in a neat little historic building that had been relocated from elsewhere. My good buddy was looking for info on a saloon from the 1800s that his family owned long ago, and he got some good info and good leads. Definitely a good stop if you're looking for info on Palestine TX!

Staff is knowledgeable and provides great recommendations specific to your trip. Don't be afraid to…read morestop in and ask questions.

Just checking out the Christmas Decorations, I'll come back tonight when it's dark and the lights…read morecome I !

Whether funny or sad, I will let you decide. The town of Marshall started a project to completely…read morerenovate this historic building, which for many years served as the Harrison County courthouse and is at the center of the town square. They finished the outside, which looks beautiful, but then apparently did not have the money to finish the inside. So the courthouse sits with a chain link fence around its perimeter, with boarded windows, but otherwise a majestic monument to justice. Whether or not anyone can use it, it still looks nice, and they do a great job lighting it up at Christmas. Hopefully one day they will get the funds to finish the job. Until then, the very boxy and ugly current county courthouse to the west does all the state court business. P.S. I've been there more recently (as recently as Jan. 2007) and it looks like the work continues. The parking lot is fenced and more work is being done on the perimeter. Still cannot tell what if anything is being done INSIDE the building, though.

It may not be the astonishing light show that you remember as a child, but the Christmas Lights in…read moreMarshall can still get the seasonal juices flowing. They charge $5 per car now...tsk tsk tsk. But I suppose it is better than discontinuing it for lack of tax dollars.

The casual observer wandering by this courthouse in the sleepy downtown of Marshall would never…read moresuspect that it is home to some of the biggest legal battles in the country. Specifically, this courthouse in Marshall, TX has become perhaps the most preferred place to file big patent lawsuits in the entire country. More than $200 million in verdicts have been entered in the last three weeks alone. As a result, some of the top technology trial lawyers in the country fly in constantly to wage war here. If you are in the area, and you like that kind of thing, it would be worth calling to see if opening statements or closing arguments are about to happen in one of these huge cases. The courthouse itself has been renovated, and it is nice, but note that you can't bring your cellphone in with you, so leave that in the car. Plus, the wood benches look better than they feel, and people actually bring cushions in with them to sit on. Finally, the left side has better views of the media screen, and the screen tends to be used a lot in these cases.

Bob H is absolutely correct. One additional not is that gentlemen are required to wear jackets in…read morethe courtroom. And not only are patent cases tried here, but also other cases of local interest, including personal injury cases. Some of the best trial practitioners in the country practice in Texas and they are often called on to try cases in this courthouse. Not to be missed!!

Not the type of service you would expect from a goverment office. I came in at 4:28pm to file 3…read moreevictions and they close at 4:30. I asked if it was too late, they said you're 2 minutes early. I received the best customer service you would ever imagine at a court house. They were so friendly, polite and very professional. This was my first time to file in this court house, they took the time to explain everything in detail. They were a pleasure!

It's a nice area and has free parking! I had to go for jury duty which was interesting. All the…read moreworkers were nice. The building is clean. My only issue is the signage, they have paper on some doors of where you're going & the vending machine was on the basement floor (listed on the elevator as "garage"). It should be in a more spacious area. We were all crowded in the space to get snacks.