Rockwall County Split From Kaufman County in 1873

Before it was Rockwall County, this small corner of North Texas moved through several county boxes: Nacogdoches, Henderson, then Kaufman. The problem was practical. Kaufman was too far for local county business. In 1873, the Legislature carved Rockwall County out of Kaufman County, and Rockwall became the county seat.

The first county courthouse had a rough fate. It was wood, and it burned in 1875. Existing county records burned with it. The town had incorporated one year earlier. In 1886, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line reached Rockwall, turning town into a shipping point for cotton, wheat, and corn.