09/10/2025
Traces of Texas reader Jared Tye thoughtfully sent in this wonderful 1960 aerial shot of the courthouse square in McKinney, Texas. If you look closely, you can see the old J.C. Penney store above the courthouse, just right of center.
The Courthouse Square was established when William Davis donated 120 acres of land to the Collin County Commissioners, and is a prototypical example of a so-called "Shelbyville Square." What is a Shelbyville Square? It's a specific public planning model that originated in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and became a widely adopted prototype for American small-town squares in the 1800s. This design features a central block with a courthouse, surrounded by a grid of equally sized city blocks. It is considered a foundational American style for town planning, impacting numerous small towns across the country. There are many such squares surrounding county courthouses in Texas. I believe that, of the 254 counties in Texas, 157 of them have Shelbyville squares. There have been at least four Collin County courthouses at this location.
Thank you, Jared. Super duper interesting!
