Grayson County TXGenWeb

Grayson County Courthouse

By 1850 Grayson County had a population of 2,008 persons living in 250 dwellings. Farms were listed as 171. Fannin County was credited with 548 houses and Collin with 311.
March 1, 1853 it was decided to build a new building, and Commissioners Phillip T. Wells, B.P. Smith and N.W. Townes, meeting at Wells' store, moved to build a brick building. (Sherman Democrat, August 13, 1939)

The Standard
(Clarksville, Texas)
Saturday, March 19, 1853
pg.2

NOTICE
Sealed proposals will be received at the Store House of Philip T. Wells in the Town of Sherman, Grayson County, Texas, and by Mail addressed to the undersigned Commissioners until Saturday, the 9th day of April 1853, for building a Brick Court House in Sherman for the use of said County. The undertaker will be paid for the work, out of the revenue, donated by the State of Texas to the various Counties, to enable them to build Public Edifices &c. The plan and Dimensions of said Court House together with the Terms can be seen by applying to any one of the undersigned Commissioners, at Sherman. A plan &c. will also be deposited for the Convenience of those wishing to put in bids, who live at a distance with the following named individuals (viz) Calvin J. Fuller at Bonham, William H. Millwee at Paris, Maj. C. De Morse at Clarksville and John J. Good at Dallas, Texas.
P.T. Wells
B.P. Smith
N.W. Townes, Commissioners
Thias March 1st, A.D. 1853

A new courthouse was built, not on the square, but across the street and was described in the Clarksville Standard of May 12, 1855 as being "new...of two stories, large and commodious...built, upon a lot fronting on the public square." The new courthouse was built of bricks and built with the aid of state funds. (The Denison Press, Friday, July 27, 1947, pg. 12)
A fourth courthouse was built in 1859, situated on the north side of the square. It was a 2-story building of brick with an ugly squat roof. Some people said that the foundation was faulty; others that the brick was of poor quality. The building soon developed cracks which becamse alarming in short order. Scantlings were propped against the walls, for the structure was unsound. County offices were moved out and into temporary quarters.

During the Reconstruction period, two fires destroyed many buildings east of the square. They were rebuilt and a new Grayson County Courthouse was included, built in 1874. T.C. Bass bought the old courthouse for $5.00, tore it down, and sold the used brick for chimneys. "Captain L.F. Ely buil the new brick building, completed in 1876, which was 100 feet square and 140 feet high. The building stood for 54 years, being remodeled in 1919." (Sherman Democrat, August 13, 1939)

ca1890

The Sherman Courier
Wednesday, August 15, 1917
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition

From the Courier, January 3, 1876

OUR NEW COURT HOUSE
The new court house is being pushed to completion as fast as the weather will permit. The roof is nearly completed and the floors will soon be laid. The district clerk, and some of the other county officials have moved into their quarters, which, although not finished, are large and comfortable, and are a decided improvement upon the places occupied by them for several years past. We went all through the building from basement to dome, and we verily believe that it is the best structure of the kind we ever saw, and when completed will be magnificent both inside and out.

contributed by Dorman Holub

"September 21, 1919 a blast of mysterious origin at the northeast corner of the building, did considerable damange County Judge Dayton B. Steed, heading the commissioners court, decided it would be best to repair the building than to build a new one. The clock towner and "gingerbread" decorations were removed and the exterior was stuccoed. The remodeled building lasted until May 9, 1930." (Sherman Democrat, August 13, 1939)

Grayson County Courthouse
located on the square in downtown Sherman.

contributor unknown

The Grayson County courthouse was burned by a mob on Friday, May 9, 1930 as the sun began to set as the ruins were still smoking, leaving the stark bare walls of steel vaults still standing in protection of the irreplaceable records that were housed within their confines. All the vital records, land records, and most court records were saved because they were stored in fire proof rooms and storage areas. A fire had been set by a frenzied and uncontrollable mob whose purpose was to circumvent law and order and mete out its type of punishment in all of its horror to a black man on trial for his life in the 15th District Court, charged with criminal assault on a white woman, alleged to have occured a short time before the trial. The city and county government was in a state of near anarchy and faced all the enormouse and idfficult problems of restoring law and order and providing emergency and temporary housing for the county government from the date of the fire through the heart of the Great Depression.