DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Old Collin County Courthouse in McKinney. Now, every county's got to start somewhere, and Collin County started with a stroke of a pen in 1846 — carved right out of Fannin County. And the name?
It went to a man worth honoring: Collin McKinney, a pioneer settler born way back in 1766, who lived all the way to 1861, and who put his name to the Texas Declaration of Independence. Not a bad legacy to hang a county on. But a county needs a seat of government, and the first one landed at a place called Buckner, sitting about two miles to the northwest of where we're standing now.
Buckner got the job first — but it didn't keep it long. In 1848, a couple by the names of William and Margaret Davis conveyed one hundred and twenty acres of land right here, at this very site, for a more central seat of government. That new community took the name McKinney.
Fitting, all things considered. The first two courthouses in the new town were built of wood. And wood, well — wood has its limits when a county is trying to look serious about itself.
So in 1874, the county commissioners approved plans for something more substantial. They brought in a Sherman architect by the name of Charles Wheeler to design it, and a man named O.J. King stepped in as general contractor.
The stone came from a local quarry just three and a half miles to the northeast. They built it right, and they finished it in 1876. And when it was done?
They held a grand ball in that courthouse to celebrate. Because in Texas, you finish a stone building, you dance. For decades it stood as the heart of Collin County's civic life — the site of political speeches, public events, the whole theatre of county business.
But by the 1920s, the county had grown past what those old walls could hold. So between 1926 and 1927, extensive changes were made — a basement added, a third floor built on top — all under the direction of architect W.A. Peters out of Paris, Texas.
That courthouse kept serving the people of Collin County all the way until 1979. More than a hundred years of business conducted under that roof. Now it stands as a historic reminder of the county's early development — stone hauled up from three and a half miles away, set by hands long gone, still standing right where William and Margaret Davis laid the ground for it back in 1848.
Some buildings earn their place. This one did.
What the marker says
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 two courthouse 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.** (1982)***