The W.B. McKnight Building, located in downtown Mansfield, Texas, is named for Dr. William Burney McKnight, one of Mansfield's first physicians.

    Dr. McKnight was born April 18, 1859, in Winnsboro, Wood County, Texas, the son of William Durham McKnight and Mary Susan Wynne. The McKnights were of Scottish ancestry and had been in America for many generations.

    The youngest son, Dr. McKnight married Sallie Hodges, the daughter of Mansfield's first doctor, Duff Green Hodges, M.D. and Hannah Ann Hodges. McKnight was admired both as a physician and a community leader, having been one of the founders of the Mansfield Academy. He was also one of the founders of the Mansfield State Bank and a Royal Arch Mason.

    Dr. and Mrs. McKnight had five children: Mary, who died in infancy, Dr. William Hodges McKnight, Kate Kidd McKnight Lattimore, Dorothy McKnight Warner and James Stephens McKnight. 

    Dr. W.B. McKnight purchased the lot on which the building stands in 1895 and commenced to build the structure, first appearing on the tax rolls in 1899. The Knights of Pythias were deeded the second floor and held their organizational meetings and dances in the building. Dr. McKnight kept his offices on the mezzanine level of the building, and the Mansfield Historical Society research material now occupied this space. 

    The McKnight Building is currently undergoing renovation by the Mansfield Historical Society to open the second floor of our public museum and heritage research center. The museum located on the first floor of the building is open and research materials are available on the mezzanine level. The second floor remains under construction and is not open to the public.

    The McKnight Building, along with the Masonic Lodge across Main Street, serve as anchors to Mansfield's historic downtown area. Dating to the late 1890s, downtown Mansfield, located on F.M. 157, becoming Main Street in Mansfield, is one of the oldest intact downtown areas in southeast Tarrant County.