The first Collin County courthouse was a log building in Buckner.
When the county seat was
changed to McKinney, a
log structure was built on its square. It was later replaced
with a two-story, wood-frame structure. There was some dispute about this
building, so it was replaced within about one year with another two-story,
wood-frame building. Before the Civil War, around 1861, this wooden courthouse was moved from the
square in order to build another courthouse.
Because of the Civil War, construction did not begin on a new courthouse until
1872. The resultant courthouse was a two-story, native-stone building of
Victorian design with towers on the east side over the two entrances.
Historical marker, (1982)
Town Square, McKinney
OLD COLLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE
COLLIN COUNTY WAS CREATED FROM FANNIN COUNTY IN
1846. IT WAS NAMED FOR PIONEER AREA SETTLER COLLIN
MCKINNEY (1766-1861), A SIGNER OF THE TEXAS DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE. THE FIRST COUNTY SEAT WAS ESTABLISHED
AT BUCKNER (2 MI. NW). IN 1848, WILLIAM AND MARGARET
DAVIS CONVEYED 120 ACRES OF LAND AT THIS SITE FOR
A MORE CENTRAL SEAT OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH BECAME
THE COMMUNITY OF MCKINNEY.
THE FIRST OF TWO COURTHOUSES IN THE NEW TOWN WERE
BUILT OF WOOD. IN 1874 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED
PLANS FOR A MORE SUBSTANTIAL COURTHOUSE ON THIS SITE.
SHERMAN ARCHITECT CHARLES WHEELER DESIGNED THE
BUILDING AND O.J. KING SERVED AS GENERAL CONTRACTOR.
CONSTRUCTED OF STONE FROM A LOCAL QUARRY (3.5 MI. NE),
IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1876. A GRAND BALL WAS HELD IN
THE COURTHOUSE TO CELEBRATE THE EVENT.
BY THE 1920S THE COURTHOUSE WAS INADEQUATE TO MEET
THE NEEDS OF A GROWING COUNTY. EXTENSIVE CHANGES,
INCLUDING THE ADDITION OF A BASEMENT AND A THIRD
FLOOR, WERE MADE IN 1926-27 UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
ARCHITECT W.A. PETERS OF PARIS, TEXAS. THE SITE OF MANY
POLITICAL SPEECHES AND EVENTS, THE BUILDING WAS USED
AS A COURTHOUSE UNTIL 1979. IT NOW SERVES AS A HISTORIC
REMINDER OF THE COUNTY'S EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
The cornerstone for the building reads:
ERECTED 1874-1876 — POLICE COURT W. R. H. Mack. J. P. No. 1 Presiding; J. A.
Astin. J. P. No. 2; G. H. Wysong. J. P. No. 3; A. T. Robertson. J. P. No. 4;
J. G. White. J. P. No. 5 — Charles Wheelock. Architect & Supt. to May 17th,
1875 — John Church. Supt. 1875 - 1876 — O. J. King. Contractor
This building was remodeled in 1927 by adding a
basement, and a third floor and removing the mansard roof and the tower caps.
The new building was neo-classical in design. This building was abandoned in
1979.
1927 COLLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Historical marker, 1998
Town Square, McKinney
COLLIN COUNTY WAS FORMED IN 1846 AND ITS ONLY TOWN,
BUCKNER
WAS AUTOMATICALLY SELECTED AS THE COUNTY SEAT. WHEN AN
ELECTION WAS HELD TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE COUNTY
SEAT SHOULD BE RELOCATED, ONLY ELEVEN PEOPLE PARTICIPATED
DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. THE VOTE WAS TALLIED, AND McKINNEY
WAS ESTABLISHED AS A NEW TOWN AND COUNTY SEAT IN 1849.
THE FIRST COURTHOUSES IN McKINNEY WERE LITTLE MORE THAN
LOG CABINS. A THIRD COURTHOUSE WAS ERECTED ON THIS SITE IN
1874. THE 2-STORY VICTORIAN STRUCTURE WAS MADE OF RED LIMESTONE
BLOCKS WITH A STEEP MANSARD ROOF AND A MAIN ENTRANCE THAT
FACED EAST ACCORDING TO MASONIC TRADITION. THE BUILDING’S
ARCHITECT, OFTEN MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED AS CHARLES WHEELER,
WAS CHARLES WHEELOCK OF SHERMAN. THE MUCH-CELEBRATED
COURTHOUSE ON THE SQUARE BECAME A BACKDROP FOR PARADES AND
OTHER COUNTY EVENTS.
THE STRUCTURE WAS OVERCROWDED AND IN POOR CONDITION BY THE
MID-1920S. EXTENSIVE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR RENOVATIONS INCLUDED
THE REMOVAL OF THE MANSARD ROOF AND TOWER CAPS, AS WELL AS
THE ADDITION OF A THIRD STORY. OVERSEEN BY W. A. PETERS OF THE
PARIS, TEXAS, ARCHITECTURAL FIRM OF SPARGER AND PETERS, THE
WORK RESULTED IN A CLASSICAL REVIVAL EDIFICE COMPLETED IN 1927.
FEATURES INCLUDED TRIPARTITE WINDOWS ON THE PRINCIPAL FACADE
WITH FLANKING DOUBLE CLASSICAL COLUMNS.
THE NEW STRUCTURE WAS COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE “TEMPLE OF JUSTICE,”
AND CONTINUED TO BE THE CENTER OF ACTIVITY FOR CITY AND COUNTY
FUNCTIONS. IT REMAINED IN SERVICE AS A COURTHOUSE UNTIL 1979.
THE STRUCTURE REMAINS A FINE EXAMPLE OF 20TH CENTURY CLASSICAL
REVIVAL DESIGN AND A MONUMENT TO COLLIN COUNTY HISTORY.
RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK.
In 1979 a new courthouse was built a couple of blocks
southeast of the square. It is six stories and modern in design.
The county
commissioners are talking about building another courthouse which would be
northwest of downtown McKinney on the road to Weston near the new jail.
McKinney
History Index
