 Cooke County Courthouse Settlement of the area now known as Cooke County began in late 1845. The county was created by the State Legislature in 1848 and named for William G. Cooke, Republic of Texas Quartermaster General and a participant in the Battle of San Jacinto. Land for the county seat was donated by Mary E. Clark, and the new town was named Gainesville in honor of U. S. Army General Edmond Pendleton Gains. There have been four courthouses located on this site. The first, a small log structure, was erected in 1850. It was replaced in 1853 by a one-story frame building which was later destroyed by fire. The third courthouse, a two-story limestone structure, was completed in 1880 and destroyed by fire in 1909.  Designed by the Dallas architectural firm of Lang and Witchell, construction of the Beaux Arts style courthouse began I n1910. The Gainesville firm of Garrett and Collins served as supervising architects, and M.P. Kelly of Gainesville was the contractor. The impressive brick and limestone building features terra cotta ornamentation, eagle brackets, and a copper-clad dome. Clocks were added to the dome in 1920 as a World War I memorial. The courthouse is an important north Texas landmark. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1988
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 The Courthouse Well Four wells were located around the courthouse square to provide water both for farmers selling their goods in the downtown area and for weary travelers making their way through town headed west. In the 1990s, construction of a parking area uncovered on of the wells. This is a replica of one of the well coverings based on an 1880s photograph of California Street. |
