Cooke County
Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Created March 20, 1848. Organized March 10, 1849. Named in honor of William G. Cooke 1808-1847. Captain of the "New Orleans Greys," 1835; Assistant Inspector General at San Jacinto, 1836; member of the Santa Fe Expedition, 1841; Secretary of War and Marine, 1845; Adjutant General, 1846-1847; County Seat, Gainesville. 1964
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Created in 1848 and organized the next year, Cooke County honors William G. Cooke (1808–1847), a soldier of the Texas Revolution and the young republic. Cooke captained the "New Orleans Greys" in 1835, served as assistant inspector general at San Jacinto in 1836, joined the ill-fated Santa Fe Expedition of 1841, and held high offices including Secretary of War and Marine. Gainesville became the county seat.
Why it matters
The county's naming preserves the memory of the revolutionary generation whose service built the Republic of Texas and whose westward drive carried settlement into the North Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · William G. Cooke
Related events
- · Santa Fe Expedition
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
American Paint Horse Association
Gainesville, TX
The colorful two-toned horses celebrated here descend from mounts brought by Spanish conquistadors and became a beloved staple of the western frontier under names like Paint, Pinto, and Piebald. Though largely shut out of North American breed registries in the early 20th century, sixteen dedicated horse enthusiasts met at Gainesville's Curtwood Motel on February 16, 1962, to found a registry of their own. Within a year they had registered 250 horses, and after a 1965 merger the American Paint Horse Association grew into the world's second-largest equine breed association.
Cooke County Courthouse Historical Marker
Gainesville, TX
Settlement of the area now known as Cooke County began in late 1845, at the very moment Texas was joining the United States, and the county was formally created by the state legislature in 1848. It took its name from William G. Cooke, a Quartermaster General of the Republic of Texas who had fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in the 1836 war for Texas independence. The courthouse this marker commemorates stood at the civic heart of that new county seat, the place where a frontier community organized its government and law.
City Hall-Fire Station, Old
Gainesville, TX
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.
Gainesville National Bank Historical Marker
Gainesville, TX
On October 21, 1882, local landowners J. M. Lindsay and C. C. Hemming founded the Gainesville National Bank, planting a permanent financial institution in what was still a North Texas frontier town near the Red River. As cattle trails gave way to railroads and settled farming in the Gilded Age, banks like this one anchored the transition, financing the merchants, ranchers, and farmers who turned Gainesville into a regional commercial hub.