Stratford became the county seat under Texas Ranger guard

Sherman County was organized in 1889 with Coldwater as its county seat. When the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway arrived in 1901, a new town called Stratford sprang up along the line. Supporters pushed to move the county government there. Voters approved the move in May 1901.

The transition was anything but calm. County officials moved the records in the middle of the night to make the relocation final before anyone could stop them. The move was so controversial that Governor Joseph D. Sayers sent Texas Rangers to Stratford to keep order. Stratford has been the county seat ever since, and that midnight transfer still gives the courthouse story its edge.