The current courthouse is the seventh Courthouse to stand in Hunt County. In 1846, when Hunt County was created, court sessions were held under oak trees at the corner of St. John and Bourland streets until the first courthouse (a log cabin) was built in 1847. It was replaced in 1853 by a 2-story frame courthouse on the northwest corner. The center of the square was used in 1858 for the third courthouse. The first brick structure in the county, this third courthouse was condemned in 1874.
The fifth courthouse, an ornate red brick building with white stone trim, was constructed in 1883. Thirteen months later it was destroyed by a fire which heavily damaged the town's commercial district. A new courthouse, which closely resembled the 1883 structure, was built in 1885. In 1928 it was torn down to make room for construction of the present courthouse, the seventh for Hunt County. A formal dedication was held on April 11, 1929, the 83rd anniversary of the county's founding.