The first Collin County courthouse was part of Jack McGarrah's general store in Buckner. It opened in 1846 when Collin County was created. Records pertaining to the area during the days of the Republic of Texas are located in Bonham in the Fannin County courthouse. Before the Republic of Texas, records pertaining to area that became Collin County are recorded in the courthouse in the Red River County courthouse in Clarksville.
When the county seat was changed to McKinney in 1848, a log structure was built on the McKinney square. William Davis donated land from his survey for a town and for a public square for a courthouse.It was replaced in 1852 with a two-story, wood-frame structure. Before the Civil War, around 1861, this wooden courthouse was moved from the square in order to build larger, stone courthouse. Stone from the quarry at Squeezepenny was piled in the town square.
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 Second Empire design with towers on the east side over the two entrances.
When the county seat was changed to McKinney in 1848, a log structure was built on the McKinney square. William Davis donated land from his survey for a town and for a public square for a courthouse.It was replaced in 1852 with a two-story, wood-frame structure. Before the Civil War, around 1861, this wooden courthouse was moved from the square in order to build larger, stone courthouse. Stone from the quarry at Squeezepenny was piled in the town square.
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 Second Empire design with towers on the east side over the two entrances.
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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 Texas Historical marker, (1982) Town Square, McKinney |
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. It was called "The Temple of Justice." This building was abandoned in 1979.
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1927 COLLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE
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. Texas Historical marker, 1998 Town Square, McKinney |
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In 1979 a new courthouse was built a couple of blocks southeast of the square. It was six stories high and modern in design. The architect was Jarvis Putty Jarvis, Inc. & Harvey G. Moore, Associate. This building was abandoned when a new courthouse was opened in 2008. It was demolished in 2011.
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A new courthouse was built northwest of downtown McKinney on Bloomdale Road. It was opened in 2008.
An additional administration building was built west of it called the Hatchell Building after former County Commissioner Jack Hatchell. |
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