Denton's courthouse square has been the social center of Denton for decades. The courthouse was built in 1896 on the square that had been active since the late 1870's.
Denton courthouse today
The famous landmark that is the courthouse towers over the square and easily shadows all the restaurants and bars. On any given weekend, you will see families and couples basking in the sun on the courthouse lawn. Even the occasional wedding takes place here. Children play and run on the massive lawn as they enjoy ice cream cones and pizza from the local shops. But what many may overlook on the southeast corner of the lot is the grave of John B. Denton, the man who the city and county are named after.
Denton courthouse 1939
John B. Denton's headstone and grave located on the southeast corner of the lawn. photographers note: notice the bride and groom in the background.
John B. Denton was a Methodist minister, lawyer, soldier, and political candidate for whom both Denton County, Texas and the city of Denton, Texas were named. He converted to Methodism soon after meeting his future wife, Mary Greenlee Stewart, who also taught him how to read and write. He later became a captain and was known for his battles against Native Americans. He died in 1841 after the Battle of Village Creek, an attack on a Keechi village in adjacent Tarrant County. Wikipedia
Now how does a historical figure such as John B. Denton come to find a resting place in the front lawn of a courthouse? Well according to all accounts this was his third burial site. First at the battle site where he died, the second at the ranch home of John Chisholm and finally the "final" resting place on the courthouse lawn. you can read the full accounts of his three burials here.
With such an old grave present on the busy property, many ghostly tales have been told through the years of the a pale figure roaming the area at night with a cowboy hat and rifle in hand. Could this be John B. Denton? With so many buildings surrounding the courthouse dating back to the 1880's there is no certain answer.
the burial of John B. Denton on the Courthouse lawn November 21, 1901. the buildings in the background are still around today.
Upon researching the history of why there's a grave on a public square, I came across this article here. There's a sad end to the legend of the grave. DNA testing was performed in the spring of 2014 and proved that the body that was in the grave was not of John B. Denton, and that it was not even human! Looks like pig bones took it's place instead. Many suspect that Denton’s body was never moved from it’s original unmarked burial location in what is now Bolivar, TX. Still an eerie sight to see as you stroll along the ice cream shops and antique stores. But like many things in Denton, add it to the strangeness that is the square.
Strange Denton