Henderson County was home to the first Norwegian settlement in Texas

In 1845, Norwegian immigrants started a settlement in Henderson County called Normandy. The Handbook of Texas calls it the first Norwegian settlement in Texas. They arrived during the Texas Republic period and the early years of statehood.

This is a little-known part of the county's past. Henderson County was also settled by Anglo-American farming families, African Americans, and others. All of these groups shaped the area through the 1800s. They built the communities that still exist here today. For more detail, check the Handbook of Texas entry for Henderson County.