How Camp County Came to Be — and Why Two Railroads Matter

Camp County was created in 1874 from Upshur County. The Texas Legislature named it after John Lafayette Camp, a state senator who presented the petitions to form it. Pittsburg won the county seat vote, receiving 500 of the 797 votes cast. The town itself was named after the family of William Harrison Pitts, who donated land for the original courthouse. The courthouse was built with bricks made locally in Pittsburg.

In the late 1870s, two railroads were built through the county — one running east to west, one north to south — and they crossed at Pittsburg. That made Pittsburg a trade hub for the region. The county's economy ran on cotton and timber into the early 1900s. Cotton gave way to livestock after the Great Depression. Poultry farming grew into a major industry by the mid-20th century. Oil was discovered in 1940, adding another layer to the local economy. Camp County is one of the smaller counties in Texas, at about 203 square miles.