One of the original settlers of Cooke County, Colonel William Fitzhugh, suggested that the town be named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines.

In 1862, during the Civil War, the Great Hanging at Gainesville, a controversial trial and lynching of 40 suspected Union loyalists, brought the new town to the attention of the state and came close to ripping the county apart.

[9][10] In the decade after the Civil War, Gainesville had its first period of extended growth, catalyzed by the expansion of the cattle industry in Texas.

Gainesville, only 7 miles (11 km) from the Oklahoma border, became a supply point for cowboys driving herds north to Kansas.

Gainesville was incorporated on February 17, 1873, and by 1890 was established as a commercial and shipping point for area ranchers and farmers.

In 1875, Henry B. Sanborn, a regional sales agent for Joseph Glidden's Bar Fence Company of DeKalb, Illinois, traveled to Texas.

That autumn, he chose Gainesville as one of his initial distribution points for the newly invented barbed wire, which his employer had patented the previous year.

The construction of the camp helped bring Cooke County out of the Great Depression by providing jobs.

The return of Amtrak on June 14, 1999, brought Gainesville back full circle to one of the original sources of its growth and success.

The courthouse in the center of Gainesville features black and white marbled interiors and a tall central atrium capped by a stained glass skylight under the tower."

The courthouse is undergoing a major renovation project, resulting in the move of many county offices to surrounding buildings.

The inscription of the plaque beside it reads "“no nation rose so white and fair none fell so pure of crime” referring to the Southern cause.

[13][14] Gainesville was once home to Camp Howze, one of the largest infantry replacement training centers during World War II.

Original companies and dates of arrival in Gainesville: These turned into major railroads: As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,394 people, 6,106 households, and 4,105 families residing in the city.

The college, which the Texas Legislature designates as serving Cooke County,[19] has locations in Gainesville, Bowie, Corinth, Denton, Graham, and Flower Mound.

Since its inception, SSUSA has consistently ranked as one of the largest manufacturers of commercial airline seats in the world, as well as the holder of several notable patents for products created by its employees.

Though most forms of gambling are not legal in Texas, Gainesville is commonly associated with the pastime due to its close proximity to WinStar World Casino.

The convention center and/or the Lucas Oil Live venue will host World Series of Poker tournaments in the coming years.

Nearby towns and cities include: Gainesville usually enjoys sunny weather similar to the rest of Texas, with the exception of a few natural disasters.

Leonard Parks' wooden playground was expanded in 1999 and is located near the entrance to the Frank Buck Zoo.

It is served by Amtrak's Heartland Flyer, which operates daily in both directions between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

The airport serves all types of general aviation aircraft, and is the host site for the Texas Antique Airplane Association's annual fly-in.