City Hall-Fire Station, Old
Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected 1884. First floor was fire station, with ladder truck, hose wagons and horse stalls. Insignia for the three fire companies appear above doors. Second floor contained city offices. Jail or "Calaboose" was in rear. Architect was J. J. Kane. Second story and bell tower were removed in 1933. The Cooke County Heritage Society saved building from demolition, 1966. Renovated through generosity of G. C. and Gladys Morton. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark--1968.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1884 to architect J. J. Kane's design, this building housed Gainesville's fire company on its ground floor—complete with ladder truck, hose wagons, and horse stalls—while city offices occupied the second story and a jail, the "Calaboose," sat in the rear. Its upper story and bell tower were removed in 1933. Slated for demolition, it was rescued by the Cooke County Heritage Society in 1966 and restored.
Why it matters
The combined city hall and fire station captures how nineteenth-century towns concentrated their fledgling public services under one civic roof as they matured into modern municipalities.
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Related people
- · J. J. Kane
Themes & tags
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