The Union incorporated Texas into its borders in December 1845. Grayson County was one of the eight counties created by the first State Legislature. On November 17, 1846, a portion of Fannin County was used to construct it. Peter W. Grayson, the attorney general in President Burnett’s Cabinet in 1836, is the subject of the county that bears his name. The treaty with Santa Ana was signed by several people, including Grayson. He was one of the commissioners dispatched by President Burnett to Washington to seek friendly mediation and aid in getting Mexico to recognise Texas’ independence as a republic as well as to win recognition on behalf of the United States.

The Foundation of Sherman Grayson County commissioners established Sherman in 1846. It was four miles west of where it is now, in the middle of the county, close to Routes 56 and 289. The village was relocated to its current location in 1848 due to a scarcity of timber and water.

General Sidney Sherman, a hero of the Texas Revolution, is the name of the county seat of Grayson County, which is called Sherman. In the Kentucky State Militia, Sherman served as the company captain for a volunteer unit. He organised a group of 50 soldiers and travelled to Texas to meet with General Sam Houston. The regiment arrived too late to participate in the combat at the Alamo, but Sherman oversaw the left wing of Houston’s army at the pivotal battle of San Jacinto. “Remember the Alamo!” became his regiment’s battle cry as he led his soldiers. Keep in mind Goliath! In 1837, Sherman and his family made a permanent emigration to Texas and settled in Houston. He participated in the New Republic of Texas Congress in 1842 as a representative. After Texas became a member of the Union, he served in the State Legislature in 1852 and 1853. Another accomplishment attributed to Sidney Sherman is the construction of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway, the state’s first railroad and the first component of the Southern Pacific System in Texas.

The Pecan Tree: Sherman’s heart
Due to the sprawling branches of the enormous pecan tree that once stood on the southeast corner of what is now the public square, the City of Sherman was moved to its current location in 1848. The “pecan tree” had a significant impact on Sherman’s growth right away.

By tying six yoke of oxen to a big pecan tree and pulling it through the underbrush, Mr. T.J. Shannon started cleaning the field. Julia, Shannon’s 12-year-old daughter, was given the privilege of naming the streets after Texas heroes and local trees once the town was planned. These streets gave rise to Mulberry, Pecan, Elm, Walnut, Cherry, Crockett, Houston, Jones, Rusk, Lamar, and Travis.

The pecan tree on the square became the centre of life as Sherman flourished. It served as the community centre, church, post office, and general gathering place. Court proceedings were held under its shadow. Men leant their rifles against the tree trunk to guard against Indian attacks while people gathered for religious services under the pecan tree on Sundays. Letters awaited in the pockets of an old coat hung from the tree, while trail drivers going in various directions shifted them closer to their destinations, during the week as visiting traders hung their saddle bags from the lower limbs as they went about their business.

Development
Sherman has a long history of serving as a hub for learning and religion. The earliest educational facility was a wood cabin with a dirt floor and a smoke-emitting hole in the top. Benjamin Willis Bradley established it on the 100 block of North Crockett Street in 1849.

The same year saw the construction of Sherman’s first cemetery. It was situated on what is now South Austin Street in the southwest section of the city.

A row of clapboard stores on the east side of the square, a couple log saloons, and a double log home used as a hotel made up Sherman’s business district in 1852 as the city started to grow. The District Clerk’s Office and the Post Office were both located on the south side of the plaza.

Incorporated in 1858 was Sherman. The Butterfield-Overland Stage landed in Sherman on September 20th, 1858. The earliest mail route west of the Mississippi was the stage line. Leaving St. Louis on September 15, 1858, this first stage reached in Sherman on September 20, then proceeded on to San Francisco, where it arrived on October 9. The 2,795-mile stage trip was the longest in the history of stagecoaches. Before the railroads arrived, it was in operation for 20 years.

Reconstruction and the Civil War
Sherman and the State of Texas were in disarray as the Civil War began. Texas’s secession from the United States in 1861 was followed by a brutal period of conflict. A time of lawlessness began, and Quantrill, James, and Younger, together with their men, could be seen roaming the streets of Sherman. The neighbourhood was experiencing border problems, and there were no open shops on the downtown streets. There was little money and little industry in the area, and the farms were in disrepair. The instability in the region has put an end to business. After the war, reconstruction began.

Sherman was beginning to heal as the Reconstruction era was nearing to an end. Buyers of cotton and wheat swamped the community. Trade increased, and new industries were developed. More industry and railroads were introduced in the 1870s. The construction of new banks, colleges, hotels, and opera houses began.

The Development of Sherman and Its Educational Facilities
Sherman gained the moniker “The Athens of Texas” in the 1870s as a result of the influx of academic institutions to the area. A Civil War soldier named Captain L.H. LeTellier established an all-male school here in 1871. In the 700 block of South Travis Street, St. Joseph’s Academy (now St. Mary’s School) first opened its doors in 1876 after the Sherman Male and Female Academy opened its doors in 1870. The same year, Austin College relocated from Huntsville, Texas, to Sherman. Then, in Sherman, Mary Nash College was established in 1877.

Sherman attained a zenith in Texas economic history during the 1880s. In Texas, Grayson County had the highest population in 1880. Texas’s biggest bank in 1881 was Merchants and Planters Bank. Dunn and Bradstreet later identified Sherman as Texas’ financial hub in 1885.

Both Carr-Burdette College and the Sherman public school system were established in 1883 and 1894, respectively.

Changes at Sherman Academy
From Mississippi, Lucy A. Kidd came to take over as president of the Sherman Academy in 1888. The school was reopened after two years of closure. The Sherman Male and Female Academy, the school’s previous name, was established in 1870, when instruction began in the basic grades. The property was transferred to the Methodist Church Conference on April 13, 1873, and the institution changed its name to North Texas Female College. The school was shut down in 1887, but the original structure was never finished. Mrs. Kidd took over management of the North Texas Female Institute, which was already shut down when she arrived in Sherman. The first year, she travelled all around the state to raise money before the school year started. In addition to the money, Mary Nash College, which was at the time just across the street, had to be taken into account. The college reopened with over 100 students and eventually attracted 500. Seven brick structures, several cottage units, and a gymnasium were all constructed under her direction. Mrs. Kidd wed Bishop Joseph S. Key in 1892. The institution’s name was formally changed to North Texas College and Kidd-Key Conservatory of Music in the same year. The Mary Nash property, which faced Mulberry and was across the street, was bought in 1905. Kidd-Key developed into a significant music school.

Even before Mrs. Kidd-Key passed away on September 13, 1916, she worked to set requirements for the school to become a junior college. She was aware of the movement toward standardisation in education. It converted to a junior college in 1916. The North Texas Annual Conference had acquired the Kidd-Key property in 1920 with the understanding that Edwin Kidd, Lucy Kidd-son, Key’s may retain ownership of it for an additional four years.

The progressive fall in enrollment was mostly caused by the depression and the expansion of governmental institutions. There were just 165 students by 1933. The five Methodist Conferences of Texas therefore suggested that sponsorship be discontinued in the fall of 1933. Without it, the school wouldn’t be able to continue operating. On May 31, 1935, Kidd-Key College ceased operations. When the land went to the bondholders, the City of Sherman paid $40,000 to acquire it. In 1938, the Municipal Building was inaugurated.

Growing & Tragic
Sherman remained prosperous during the era of the large institutions; businesses opened and industries grew. Washington Iron Works, which began operations in 1876 and is still in operation today, is Sherman’s oldest industry.

The storm of 1896, however, which was the deadliest tragedy to ever hit Sherman, occurred at the same period. The cyclone struck the southwest region of Sherman on Friday, May 15, 1896, around 5:00 pm, close to what are now West Hill Cemetery and Houston Street. 66 people were died and hundreds were hurt when the cyclone passed. After suffering injuries, another 40 people passed away. A $50,000 property damage estimate was made.

Sherman experienced another another growth spurt as the 1900s came around. Between Sherman and Denison, the state’s first electric interurban was built, and it was later extended to Dallas. Hospitals St. Vincent and Sherman, a new municipal library, a federal building and post office, and the Grayson Hotel were all under construction. 15 713 people called Sherman home in 1930.

1930 saw one of the most devastating days in Sherman history. At get to a black guy accused of raping a white woman, a lynch mob set fire to the courthouse on May 9. In order to shield him from the throng, the man had been locked up in the courtroom vault. After the mob was denied custody, the structure was set ablaze with gasoline. The mob cut the fire hoses, preventing attempts to put out the fire. In 1936, a new courthouse was constructed.

1930 and Later
Sherman’s expansion continued as the 1930s came to an end. The Red River Dam, which would have brought Lake Texoma, was authorised by Congress, and a municipal airport and city pool were opened. When Perrin Field opened in 1941, there were 17,150 people living in Sherman. Completed in 1944, Lake Texoma had 1,250 miles of shoreline. Sherman had a population of 20,150 in 1950, and the 1950s and 1960s saw a surge in the city’s industrial growth. During that time, Sherman was home to facilities like IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Texas Instruments, and Texoma Inc. To this day, Sherman has an extraordinary industrial foundation for a city her size.

The Future of Sherman
Based on its location, excellent infrastructure, and track record of luring significant firms, Sherman has a bright future. Being immediately in the line of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex’s quick northward expansion, Sherman’s location forces it to expand. Sherman’s infrastructure is also first-rate. The intersection of U.S. Highways 75 and 82 serves as the system’s transportation hub, and the North Texas Regional Airport (formerly Perrin Field) and Sherman Municipal Airport both have first-rate airport facilities. Furthermore, Lake Texoma ensures a plentiful supply of water. Last but not least, the Sherman Economic Development Corporation’s (SEDCO) sales tax for economic development offers the essential incentives to draw substantial, high-caliber firms. Sherman is looking forward to a future that will live up to its illustrious past.