DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the Isaac McCormack Cottage and how it earned the name Birthplace of Hutchinson County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a river and no way across it. The year was 1899, and Mr.
McCormick and his wife Capitola had a plan — build a house. Simple enough, you might think. Except the materials had to come across the Canadian River, and the Canadian, at that time, had no bridge.
None. Hauled at great peril, the marker says, and I believe it. Every board, every beam, every nail — somebody had to get it across that water the hard way.
While they were doing all that hauling, the whole McCormick family — Mr. McCormick, Capitola, and eight children — was living in a covered wagon and a tent. Eight children.
One tent. One wagon. And a river that didn't much care about anybody's building schedule.
But they put the house up. And once they did, it turned out that house was going to be more than just a home. Hutchinson County, you see, had been joined to Roberts County for judicial purposes — folded in, handled from somewhere else, not quite its own thing yet.
Then came the meeting. Right there in that cottage, the first meeting to plan the separate organization of Hutchinson County took place. The home became, as the marker puts it, the cradle of county government.
And it wasn't done yet. In 1901, when the first county election was held, that same cottage was one of the polling places. A house that sheltered a family through a dangerous crossing, hosted the planning of a new county, and then opened its door to voters on election day.
In 1928 it was moved to town, and in 1964 Edgar Britain donated it for a museum. Some houses just seem to know they've got somewhere to be.
What the marker says
Built 1899 with materials hauled at great peril across the Canadian - then without a bridge. Mr. McCormick, his wife Capitola, and 8 children lived in a covered wagon and a tent while they put up their house. Home became cradle of county government when it was site of first meeting to plan separate organization of Hutchinson County (which previously had been joined to Roberts County for judicial purposes). In 1901 it was one of polling places in first county election. Moved to town, 1928; donated by Edgar Britain, 1964, for a museum. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967