Jacinto was named for the Battle of San Jacinto (1836), the decisive engagement of the Texas Revolution. When the state legislature formed Tishomingo County in 1836, Jacinto was made the county seat but remained so only until 1870, when Tishomingo County was subdivided, and the town is now in Alcorn County. The courthouse served as a school until 1908, then as a church until 1960, and subsequently deteriorated (losing its original cupola in the process) until 1969, when the Jacinto Historic Foundation undertook a restoration. The two-story, red brick Federal style building with a hipped roof retains its wooden window lintels with corner blocks and its twelve-over-twelve sash on the first floor; similar sash have been restored on the second floor. The cupola on a square platform has been rebuilt and cypress shingles applied to the roof. The building’s interiors remain largely intact, including the second-floor courtroom.
Arrayed around the courthouse square are a wooden store, now the Jacinto Museum and Store (c. 1900); a small log building (early 19th century); an elaborately detailed wooden doctor’s office (c. 1873; relocated from Marion County, Alabama); a wooden house (c. 1930); and the H-plan Jacinto School (c. 1930), now a senior citizens center.