The county seat moved three times before settling in Denton in the 1850s

Early Denton County had trouble picking a stable county seat. Pinckneyville held the title first, then Alton took over in 1848. Residents complained the water near Alton's Hickory Creek site made people sick, and the town was too far from the county's center.

In 1856, residents demanded a new location. Three men — Hiram Cisco, William Woodruff, and William Loving — donated 100 acres near the center of the county. The new town, named Denton, was established there in 1857. A courthouse was built on the north side of the square. The town was not officially incorporated until 1866.