Denton County Courthouse - Denton, TX
N 33° 12.906 W 097° 07.973
14S E 674005 N 3676685
Built in 1896, the fifth Denton County Courthouse is at the center of the square at 110 W Hickory St, Denton, TX. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Waymark Code: WMXWP9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2018
Views: 11
Denton County has since relocated their court proceedings to a newer courthouse on McKinney Avenue, but they still use this beautiful courthouse for office space, and the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square is a must-see. Bring a few dollars to donate to help them keep the museum going. The courthouse is also a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a 1970 Texas Historical Marker provides a little bit of history:
Built 1896-97. Fifth courthouse for Denton County. First was at Alton, second at Pinckneyville. Third (in Denton) was burned in crime charged to a member of the Sam Bass gang of outlaws.
Walls are native limestone; columns, Burnet County marble. Architecture is free combination of Victorian styles, with French Second Empire pavilions, fanciful ogival domes. Architect was W.C. Dodson; contractor Tom Lovell is said to have built Utah Capitol.
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John C. Denton, for whom the city and county are named, was killed in the Battle of Village Creek -- an "Indian fight", in local parlance -- in what is now Arlington, TX in 1841. He was buried in a site on Oliver Creek, near present-day Justin, and later re-interred by John Chisum and reburied on Chisum's property near present-day Sanger. In 1901, Denton made his first visit in the city and town named for him, when his remains were moved to the grounds of the courthouse.
James Riely Gordon, whose work lives on in many of Texas's beautiful, historic courthouses, was originally brought on board to design a replacement for Denton's fourth courthouse. For whatever reason, he left the project, and W.C. Dodson, also known for his work here in Texas, was brought on board. Interestingly, what bricks remained intact from the demolition of the old courthouse were used in the construction of the Wright Opera House on the northeast corner of the square, today the home of Recycled Books.
While "History and Reminiscences of Denton County", by Edmond Franklin Bates, suggests that the Alton courthouse was burned, there is some thought that parts of it remain, preserved in a closet in a home in Argyle, south of Denton. Sam Bass was also active in the Argyle area, and there are claims that he buried his loot out on nearby Pilot Knob where it still hides.
Street address:
110 W Hickory St
Denton, TX USA
76201
County / Borough / Parish: Denton
Year listed: 1977
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Politics/Government
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Government
Current function: Government
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.