The Denton County Courthouse is located at 1450 East McKinney Street, Denton, TX 76209; phone: 940-349-2012.
TOWNS
Beginnings [1]
Everything west of Lamar County in the days of the Republic of Texas was in Fannin County and was represented in Congress by Colonel Coffey.
Peters Colony, which was composed of men mostly from Kentucky, had agents in Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas. Their contract in 1841 had been entered upon in good faith and they were doing considerable advertising. The tide of immigration was turned towards the young Republic of Texas, the country was being settled from the east to the west and in those days four or five families settling close to each other would constitute a settlement and would soon have a name by which they would be known to the people of other settlements. There were no local sub-divisions or names to any particular part of this territory. The word settlement was then used extensively as an affix to the name, but in later years other names not so personal have been chosen and the old settlements and their early designations have almost lost their identity. The first settlement was in the southeast corner of the county, and was made in 1843 or 1844, and was called the Bridges Settlement. In 1844 it had extended west of Elm, and when Mr. Holford had settled in the prairie, it was called the Holford Prairie Settlement. In 1844 settlement was made at Pilot Point, a high point of timber jutting out into the prairie, being visible for a long distance and a guide to the traveller. These were the first three settlements made; others were formed in rapid succession. Two years more and the Republic of Texas was merged into a State of the Union. Two hundred voters could organize a county, and two years later Denton County was organized (1846.) This rapid settling here was caused by Peters Colony establishing their land office in the Bridges Settlement on Office Branch in 1844 and in connection therewith a settlers' store of very limited supplies. The immigrant had to make application at the Land Office for his land and he did not have to go far to find land that suited him. In 1845 Texas was voted into the Union and a constitution adopted.
In 1846 the First Legislature of the State of Texas created and had organized thirty-one new counties. Among them was Denton County.
HISTORIC SITES