Topic · Page 12
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Tarrant County · County History
How Tarrant County Got Its Name
Tarrant County was established in 1849 and named for General Edward H. Tarrant, a Republic of Texas militia commander.
Tarrant County · Population
Tarrant County Is One of the Fastest-Growing Counties in Texas
Tarrant County has grown from 664 residents in 1850 to more than 2 million people today — driven by cattle, railroads, aviation, and technology industries.
Tarrant County · Historic Courthouse
Tarrant County's Courthouse Looked Extravagant Before It Opened
The courthouse's cost became an election issue while it was still rising, but its red-pink granite, clock tower, and curious cornerstone collection survived.
Tarrant County · Gas Boom History
The Barnett Shale Boom Brought Gas Drilling Into Tarrant County Neighborhoods
The Barnett Shale put gas wells beside homes and businesses, making drilling records and mineral ownership part of ordinary Tarrant County property research.
Tarrant County · Indigenous History
The Battle of Village Creek Shaped Tarrant County's Early History
In 1841, Republic of Texas militia forces fought Native tribal communities at Village Creek, in eastern Tarrant County near present-day Arlington, and the county was later named for the militia commander.
Tarrant County · Fort Worth History
The Fort Behind Fort Worth Never Saw a Battle
Fort Worth began as a small rope-fenced Army post that never came under attack, yet its abandoned buildings became the center of the town that kept its name.
Tarrant County · Stockyards History
The Fort Worth Stockyards Were Once the Livestock Hub of the Southwest
Fort Worth built permanent stockyards after the railroad arrived, and Armour and Swift made the district a major livestock and meatpacking center by 1903.
Tarrant County · Railroad History
The Railroad Transformed Fort Worth in 1876
When the Texas and Pacific Railroad reached Fort Worth in 1876, the city shifted from a cattle trail stop to a regional trade center.
Taylor County · City History
Abilene Began With a Boxcar Office and 178 Lots
The railroad opened a station from a boxcar in 1881, sold 178 town lots in one day, and gave Taylor County a new center of gravity.
Taylor County · Military History
Abilene Helped Build Dyess From a One-Dollar Airfield
An old training field sold to Abilene for one dollar became the starting point for a locally backed campaign to bring an active air base home.
Taylor County · Historic Site
Buffalo Gap Kept Its Courthouse After It Lost the County Seat
Buffalo Gap's original courthouse and upstairs jail survived the county-seat move, then became the heart of a village built from real historic structures.
Taylor County · Economic History
Cotton remade Taylor County before oil took hold
Taylor County's cotton acreage climbed from 4,000 acres in 1890 to more than 101,000 in 1910, then drought and depression showed the cost of relying on one crop.
Taylor County · County Origins
Taylor County waited 20 years for a government of its own
Texas created Taylor County in 1858, but the thinly settled county did not organize its own government at Buffalo Gap until 1878.
Taylor County · Education & Culture
Three church traditions planted universities across Abilene
Hardin-Simmons, Abilene Christian, and McMurry grew from Baptist, Churches of Christ, and Methodist efforts to build colleges in Abilene.
Terrell County · Flood History
Flash Floods Are a Real Danger in Sanderson Canyon
The town of Sanderson was nearly destroyed by a flash flood in 1965, and the canyon geography still makes flooding a serious risk today.
Terrell County · County History
How Terrell County Was Built Around the Railroad
Terrell County was carved out of Pecos County in 1905, and the town of Sanderson grew up as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop in the 1880s.
Terry County · County Seat History
Brownfield Gave Every Voter a Lot and Won the County Seat
Brownfield's founders measured a townsite with 100 feet of wire, offered every county voter a lot, and narrowly beat Gomez for the courthouse.
Terry County · Gomez / Local History
Gomez Lost the County Seat by Three Votes but Kept Its Name
Terry County's earlier town had a public well, stores, a school, and civic ambitions before Brownfield edged it out in 1904.
Terry County · Meadow / Railroad
Meadow Moved Twice Before the Railroad Made It Stay Put
The town began as Primrose, shifted once, then moved to the rail line in 1917 and built a wonderfully practical tank in Main Street.
Terry County · Local History
Terry County Was Built on Cotton and Oil
Terry County was organized in 1904 and built its economy first on ranching, then cotton, and later oil — all three still shape the county today.
Throckmorton County · History
Throckmorton County grew up around cattle ranching
Cattle ranching shaped Throckmorton County from the 1870s onward, and the SMS Ranch became one of the most significant operations in the region.
Titus County · County Origins
How Titus County Came to Be
Titus County was created in 1846 and named for an early Red River County settler; Mount Pleasant has been the county seat since the beginning.
Titus County · Local Hub
Mount Pleasant: The County Seat
Mount Pleasant is the economic and civic center of Titus County, sitting at the junction of Interstate 30 and U.S. Highway 271.
Titus County · Railroad Era
Railroads That Built Titus County
Multiple railroads reached Titus County in the late 1800s, turning Mount Pleasant into a regional trade and shipping center.
Tom Green County · History
Early Tom Green County Covered 60,000 Square Miles
Created in 1874 without a northern boundary, early Tom Green County spread across land now divided among 66 Texas counties.
Tom Green County · Population & Community
Five Out of Six Tom Green County Residents Live in San Angelo
The 2020 Census counted about five of every six Tom Green County residents inside San Angelo, a compact city in a broad county.
Tom Green County · History
Fort Concho's Story Is Also a Buffalo Soldier Story
San Angelo grew across the river from Fort Concho, where soldiers from all four Buffalo Soldier regiments served during the post's active years.
Tom Green County · Economy & Resources
Oil Came Late to Tom Green County's Story
Oil was discovered in Tom Green County in 1940, decades after cattle, sheep, wool warehouses, and railroads had shaped San Angelo.
Tom Green County · History
The Courthouse Survived the Flood That Ended Ben Ficklin
Tom Green County's early seat had just finished a stone courthouse when four swollen waterways sent a deadly flood through town in August 1882.
Tom Green County · Agriculture & Economy
The Railroad Made San Angelo a Wool-and-Mohair Market
Sheep grazed the country around San Angelo, but rails and warehouses made the city a wool-and-mohair market for a much wider region.
Travis County · Capitol & Civic History
Congress Avenue and the Texas State Capitol
Congress Avenue was the main street in Austin's original 1839 city plan, running from the Colorado River to the Capitol.
Travis County · Economic History
How Austin Became a Tech Hub
IBM's arrival in 1967 launched a tech economy in Austin that grew into one of the largest in the country.
Travis County · County History
How Travis County Was Founded and Named
Travis County was created on January 25, 1840 and named for William Barret Travis, the Alamo commander.
Travis County · Dam History
Mansfield Dam and the Making of Lake Travis
Mansfield Dam was completed in 1942 and created Lake Travis, bringing flood control and water supply to Central Texas.
Travis County · Texas Republic History
The Archives War: Austin Fights to Stay the Capital
In 1842, Austin residents blocked President Sam Houston from moving the republic's government records to Houston.
Travis County · Presidential & Cultural History
The LBJ Library and Lady Bird Johnson's Legacy in Travis County
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library opened in Austin in 1971 and sits on the UT campus.
Travis County · Austin Growth History
The Railroad Changed Austin's Economy in the 1870s
The Houston and Texas Central Railway reached Austin in 1871 and doubled the city's population within five years.
Travis County · UT Austin History
The University of Texas at Austin: A County Anchor Since 1881
Austin won a statewide competition to host the University of Texas in 1881, and it has shaped the county ever since.
Travis County · County Boundaries
Travis County Once Covered 40,000 Square Miles
Travis County started huge, nearly the size of Kentucky, and was later carved into more than a dozen other counties.
Travis County · Geography
Travis County's Landscape: East Flat, West Hill Country
The Balcones Escarpment splits Travis County into two distinct landscapes: flat east and hilly west.
Travis County · Demographics
Travis County's Population and Diversity
Travis County grew from a small farming region to a metro area of over a million people, with significant Hispanic, Black, and Anglo populations.
Travis County · Early Settlement
Travis County's Roots in Stephen F. Austin's Colony
The land that became Travis County was part of Stephen F. Austin's third land grant from the Mexican government in 1827.
Travis County · Austin History
Why Austin Became the Capital of Texas
Austin became the Texas capital in 1839 after Republic President Lamar picked a site on the Colorado River.
Trinity County · County History
Groveton: How Trinity County Settled on Its County Seat
Trinity County had three county seats before Groveton took the role in 1882. The railroad and a lumber boom drove the move.
Tyler County · County History
Tyler County Grew Up on Timber, Not Oil
Tyler County was built by the timber industry in the late 1800s, with railroads and sawmills turning it into one of East Texas's busiest logging areas.
Upshur County · Local Tradition
Gilmer's East Texas Yamboree Has Roots in the 1930s
The East Texas Yamboree, a fall festival centered on the sweet potato harvest, was established in Gilmer in 1935 and is one of the county's most recognized annual events.
Upshur County · Economic History
Timber, Cotton, and Oil Shaped Upshur County's Economy
Upshur County's economy moved from cotton and timber in the 1800s to oil after a 1931 discovery that helped the county survive the Great Depression.
Upshur County · County History
Upshur County Was Created in 1846 and Named for a Cabinet Official
Texas established Upshur County on April 27, 1846, naming it for Abel Parker Upshur, the U.S. Secretary of State who died in a cannon accident in 1844.
Upton County · Local History
Rankin became the county seat after a railroad reroute
Rankin replaced Upland as the county seat after a railroad changed its route in 1911, then oil booms shaped the town into what it is today.
Uvalde County · Military History
Fort Inge protected this region in the 1800s
Fort Inge was a U.S. Army frontier post on the Leona River that helped open Uvalde County to settlement.
Uvalde County · Agriculture History
Uvalde County built an economy on goats and bees
By the early 1900s, Uvalde County was a major producer of mohair and honey, earning recognition at an international exposition.
Uvalde County · County History
Uvalde County was established in 1856
Uvalde County was carved from Bexar County in 1856 and named its seat after a Spanish colonial governor.
Val Verde County · Agricultural Heritage
At Pumpville, steam engines left and ranching stayed
A railroad water stop once moved local livestock to market; when diesel erased the stop, the ranching community remained.
Val Verde County · Rock Art / State Park
Fate Bell's painted walls still refuse an easy caption
A guided canyon walk leads beneath a huge overhang where early residents left painted stories that researchers still work to understand.
Val Verde County · Military / Economy
Laughlin has trained pilots over Del Rio since the wing arrived in 1972
The 47th Flying Training Wing uses T-6 and T-38 aircraft to prepare U.S. and allied military pilots.
Val Verde County · County History
Val Verde County was created and organized one week apart
Texas created the county on March 24, 1885, organized it March 31, and made Del Rio the seat.
Van Zandt County · County Seat
Canton fought to keep its status as county seat
When the railroad bypassed Canton in 1872, a rival town tried to take the county seat — and Canton's residents armed themselves to fight back.
Van Zandt County · Local Tradition
First Monday Trade Days: a long-running Canton tradition
Canton's First Monday Trade Days grew from 19th-century livestock swapping into one of the largest monthly outdoor markets in Texas.
Van Zandt County · County Origins
Van Zandt County was carved out in 1848 and named for a Republic leader
The Texas Legislature created Van Zandt County in 1848 from part of Henderson County and named it for Isaac Van Zandt, a key Republic of Texas figure.
Van Zandt County · Local History
Why Van Zandt County is called the Free State
Van Zandt County has long carried the nickname 'Free State of Van Zandt,' rooted in several historical acts of independence.