County Seat: Gainesville • County Population: 38,437 (2010 U.S. Census)
The Cooke County Courthouse was built in 1911 in a Beaux Arts style as designed by Lang and Witchell. The temple of justice has undergone both interior and exterior preservation and reconstruction, as designed and constructed by Komatsu Architecture Inc. and J.C. Stoddard Construction, respectively, at a cost of approximately $7 million. The period of 1911 was selected as the target restoration date, as the majority of the original interior and exterior building features survived and are documented in the original drawings by Lang and Witchell dated March 1910.
The full exterior restoration of the county capitol, including replacement and repair of all windows and doors, was achieved in 2006. Cooke County marked the completion of the interior restoration in November 2011, along with the celebration of Cooke County Courthouse’s 100th birthday. Hundreds turned out for the centennial party and rededication of the county courthouse, often referred to as the “Grand Old Lady.”
The Cooke County seat of Gainesville sits at the crossroads of Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 82, offering an international connection opening the gateway to Texas. Gainesville is within minutes of the
D/FW Metroplex, Alliance Airport, and D/FW International Airport.
Wildflowers and rolling hills dot the landscape in rural Cooke County beckoning naturalists, hunters, and those just trying to escape from the pressures of the 21st century.
In 2012, Gainesville was chosen as “The Most Patriotic Small Town in America” by Rand McNally and USA TODAY in the annual “Best of the Road” contest. Gainesville also is a current participant in the Medal of Honor Host City Program, http://www.medalofhonorhostcity.com/#.
Located along the Red River a few miles from the Oklahoma state line, the county welcomes numerous visitors into Texas each year through Interstate 35 and Highway 82, the well-equipped Gainesville airport, and the Heartland Flyer, which stops at the historic Santa Fe Depot.
The county seat of Gainesville offers not only unique shops and antique stores, but also a special glimpse into the past, chronicled in attractions such as the Cooke County Courthouse, a National Register Property. Visitors frequent the site of the Great Hanging, a Civil War event, which is explained in detail at the Morton Museum of Cooke County. The county’s railroad history is depicted at the Santa Fe Depot Museum.H