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History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Brown County · History
Camp Bowie: Brown County's World War II Training Center
During World War II, a massive military training camp covering about 120,000 acres south of Brownwood trained more than a quarter million soldiers and housed German prisoners of war.
Burleson County · History / Czech heritage
Czech settlers shaped Burleson County towns — the Caldwell Kolache Festival keeps that heritage alive
Czech immigrants who arrived in Burleson County in the 1880s founded several communities still recognizable today. Caldwell celebrates that heritage every September with its Kolache Festival.
Burnet County · County History
Burnet County was named for a president of the Republic of Texas
The Texas Legislature created Burnet County on February 5, 1852, carved from Travis, Williamson, and Bell counties, and named it for David G. Burnet.
Burnet County · Local Industry & History
Granite from Burnet County built the Texas State Capitol
Granite Mountain near Marble Falls in Burnet County supplied the red granite used to build the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Caldwell County · Oil History
An oil discovery in 1922 transformed Caldwell County's economy
Edgar B. Davis struck oil near Luling in 1922 after seven tries, opening a field that became one of the most productive in Texas history.
Caldwell County · County Origins
Caldwell County was formed in 1848 and named for a Texas hero
Caldwell County was carved from Bastrop and Gonzales counties in 1848 and was likely named for Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Caldwell County · Historic Preservation
Lockhart's 1894 courthouse and downtown are on the National Register
The Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart was built in 1894 and, along with several blocks of downtown, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Calhoun County · History
Indianola: The Calhoun County Port That Two Hurricanes Erased
Indianola was once one of the busiest ports in Texas, serving as a gateway for immigrants and frontier supply lines, before back-to-back hurricanes in 1875 and 1886 destroyed the town and pushed the county seat to Port Lavaca.
Callahan County · Local History
Baird became the county seat because of the railroad
Callahan County had two earlier county seats before Baird — the railroad decided which town survived and which one faded away.
Cameron County · Economic History
A Railroad Arrived in 1904 and Transformed Cameron County's Economy
The St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached the Rio Grande Valley in 1904, triggering a land boom and the rise of commercial agriculture.
Cameron County · City History
Brownsville Grew Up Around a U.S. Army Fort on the Rio Grande
Brownsville was founded in 1848 by merchant Charles Stillman near Fort Brown, the U.S. Army post built opposite Matamoros, Mexico.
Cameron County · County History
Cameron County Is Named for a Soldier of the Mier Expedition
Cameron County was created in 1848 and named for Captain Ewen Cameron, a Scottish soldier killed in Mexico during the ill-fated Mier Expedition.
Cameron County · National Historic Site
Palo Alto Battlefield Is a National Historical Park Near Brownsville
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park preserves the site of the first major battle of the Mexican-American War, fought in Cameron County in 1846.
Cameron County · Tejano Heritage
Spanish and Mexican Land Grants Shaped Cameron County's Land History
Much of Cameron County's land was first granted under Spanish and Mexican rule. Fights over those land grants shaped life here for decades after the Mexican-American War.
Cameron County · Civil War History
The Last Land Battle of the Civil War Was Fought in Cameron County
The Battle of Palmito Ranch, fought in May 1865 near Brownsville, is recognized as the final land engagement of the American Civil War.
Cameron County · Port / Trade
The Port of Brownsville Is a Major Deep-Water Port on the Gulf Coast
Completed in 1936, the Port of Brownsville gave the Rio Grande Valley direct access to Gulf shipping and helped anchor the regional economy.
Camp County · County History
How Camp County Came to Be — and Why Two Railroads Matter
Camp County was carved from Upshur County in 1874 and grew quickly when two railroads crossed at Pittsburg in the late 1870s.
Carson County · Local History
Panhandle Was Built by the Railroad and Cattle Drives
The town of Panhandle was founded in 1888 as a railroad stop and became a major cattle shipping point for the region.
Cass County · County History
Linden: how Cass County got its county seat
Cass County was formed in 1846. Its county seat moved from Jefferson to Linden in 1852 after a boundary change split off Marion County.
Castro County · County History
Castro County was named for a French-born empresario, not a rancher
Castro County takes its name from Henri Castro, a 19th-century diplomat and land agent for the Republic of Texas.
Castro County · County Seat
Dimmitt is a small farming town about 55 miles southwest of Amarillo
Dimmitt anchors Castro County's economy through agriculture, food processing, and livestock industries.
Chambers County · Early history
A Spanish Mission Once Stood Near Present-Day Wallisville
Spain built a mission near what is now Wallisville in 1756. Before that, the area was home to Karankawa, Coapite, and Copane peoples.
Chambers County · County history
Anahuac Was Not Always the County Seat
Chambers County was formed in 1858 with Wallisville as its county seat. By 1908, Anahuac supporters won a lawsuit to move the seat there, and the courthouse has been in Anahuac ever since.
Chambers County · Oil and gas history
Chambers County Has Over a Century of Oil Production
The Barbers Hill oilfield, developed after 1918, helped shape modern Chambers County — and cumulative county oil production had passed 907 million barrels by 2004.
Chambers County · Agricultural history
Chambers County Was Cattle Country Long Before Oil
Longhorn cattle were in what is now Chambers County as early as 1827. By 1900 the county had roughly 49,000 head, making ranching the base of the local economy before oil arrived.
Cherokee County · County History
Cherokee County Was Named for the People Who Were Forced Out of It
Cherokee County was established in 1846 from Nacogdoches County and takes its name from the Cherokee people who lived in the region before being expelled in 1839.
Cherokee County · Geography & Land
East Texas Timber and Sandy Soils Define Cherokee County's Landscape
Cherokee County sits in the East Texas Piney Woods, with about 1,049 square miles of timber land, sandy and clay loam soils, and abundant rainfall.
Cherokee County · County Seat
Rusk Is the County Seat and Largest Town in Cherokee County
Rusk, the county seat, is home to the courthouse, the Rusk State Hospital, and the east terminus of the Texas State Railroad.
Cherokee County · Historic Railroad
The Texas State Railroad Runs Through Cherokee County
The Texas State Railroad, originally built in 1893 to support a state prison and iron ore operations near Rusk, is now a heritage railway attraction.
Childress County · County History
How Childress Became the County Seat
Childress County was created in 1876 but sat empty for over a decade — it only came alive when the railroad arrived in 1887, sparking a fight between two rival towns over who would be the county seat.
Clay County · History / Settlement
Clay County was named for Henry Clay and abandoned during the Civil War
Clay County was split from Cooke County in 1857, named for Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, and had fewer than 110 residents by 1860 before settlers abandoned it during the Civil War.
Cochran County · Agriculture
Cotton and Farming Drive the Local Economy
Cochran County shifted from open-range ranching to crop farming in the 1920s, and cotton remains the backbone of the local economy today.
Cochran County · County History
The County Is Named for an Alamo Defender
Cochran County was named after Robert Cochran, who died defending the Alamo in 1836.
Coke County · Historic Site
Fort Chadbourne is a preserved 1850s frontier post in Coke County
Fort Chadbourne, built in 1852 on what is now Coke County, is a privately preserved U.S. Army post on Highway 277 with original stone buildings and a visitor center open Tuesday through Saturday.
Coke County · County History
Robert Lee became the county seat after a contested 1891 vote
Coke County was formed in 1889 from Tom Green County, with Hayrick as its first county seat, but Robert Lee won a close election in 1891 and has been the county seat ever since.
Coleman County · County History
Coleman County is named for a signer of Texas independence
Coleman County was formed in 1858 and named for Robert M. Coleman, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and fought at San Jacinto.
Collin County · Local History
Collin County Has an Active Historical Commission with Hundreds of Markers
The Collin County Historical Commission is one of the most active in Texas. It keeps up historical markers across the county about settlements, cemeteries, and key events.
Collin County · Growth & Demographics
Collin County Has Grown from 150 People to Nearly One Million in 180 Years
Collin County started with about 150 residents in 1846 and grew to over 885,000 by 2014, making it one of the most densely populated counties in Texas.
Collin County · Land & Agriculture
Collin County Sits on the Blackland Prairie — Some of Texas's Most Fertile Soil
Collin County is part of the Blackland Prairie. The dark, clay-heavy soil made the county great farmland, and it still affects home foundations today.
Collin County · County Origins
Collin County Was Named for a Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence
Collin County was created in 1846 and named for Collin McKinney, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Collin County · County Seat
McKinney Grew from a Donated Townsite into the County Seat
McKinney became the county seat of Collin County in 1848 after a landowner donated 120 acres for the original townsite.
Collin County · Local Museum
Myers Park Has a Free Farm Museum That Shows Early Collin County Rural Life
Collin County runs a free Farm Museum at Myers Park. It preserves tools, equipment, and buildings from the county's farming past.
Collin County · Economic History
Railroads in the 1870s–1890s Opened Collin County to Large-Scale Farming
Before 1872, Collin County farmers had no good way to ship crops far away. The railroads changed that and transformed the county's economy.
Collin County · Historic Building
The Old Collin County Courthouse Served the County from 1876 to 1979
The 1876 Collin County Courthouse in McKinney is a Texas Historical Commission landmark — it was built from local stone and renovated significantly in the 1920s.
Collingsworth County · County History
Collingsworth County Grew From Open Range to Cotton Fields
Collingsworth County started as open-range cattle country in the 1870s and shifted to farming after 1890, becoming a significant producer of cotton, wheat, and peanuts.
Colorado County · County History
Colorado County: One of Texas's Original Counties
Colorado County was created in 1836 as one of the Republic of Texas's first counties, with Columbus as its seat since the beginning.
Colorado County · Historic Courthouse
The 1891 Courthouse Is Columbus's Most Visible Landmark
The Colorado County Courthouse in Columbus was built in 1891, lost its tower in a hurricane, and was fully restored in 2014.
Comal County · Local History
Canyon Lake Was Finished in 1964 After Decades of Planning
Canyon Lake was created by a federal dam project to protect downstream communities from Guadalupe River floods.
Comal County · Population & Growth
Comal County Has Grown Rapidly Since the 1990s
Comal County has gone from a small rural county to one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas over the past few decades.
Comal County · Geography
Comal County Straddles the Hill Country and the Plains
Comal County covers 555 square miles where the Texas Hill Country meets the Blackland Prairies, giving it varied terrain and soils.
Comal County · County History
Comal County Was Founded by German Immigrants in 1846
Comal County was formed in 1846 after German immigrants, organized by the Adelsverein society, settled the land a year earlier.
Comal County · Local Culture
New Braunfels Still Carries Strong German Roots
New Braunfels was named after a town in Germany and was settled by German immigrants in 1845, a history that still shapes the city's culture.
Comal County · Immigration History
The Adelsverein Brought Thousands of Germans to This Region
A German noble society called the Adelsverein organized the mass migration that created New Braunfels and other Hill Country towns.
Comanche County · Local History
Comanche County Built Its Economy on Cattle, Then Peanuts
After the boll weevil wiped out cotton farming in the early 1900s, Comanche County farmers turned to peanuts, which became a major local crop for decades.
Comanche County · County History
The County Seat Moved from Cora to Comanche in 1859
Comanche County was created in 1856 with Cora as its first county seat, but the seat moved to the town of Comanche just three years later.
Concho County · Rock Art
The Paint Rock Pictographs
A limestone cliff two miles northwest of Paint Rock holds around 1,500 painted images — one of the largest rock art sites in Texas.
Cooke County · Historic Trails
Major historic routes crossed Cooke County — and shaped Gainesville
Cooke County was crossed by a branch of the Chisholm Trail, the Butterfield Overland Mail route, and the Mormon Trail, making Gainesville a key supply stop in the 1800s.
Cooke County · Immigrant History
Muenster and Lindsay are German Catholic communities founded in the 1890s
German Catholic immigrants founded Muenster in 1889 and Lindsay in 1891 in western Cooke County, and both towns retain that cultural identity today.
Cooke County · Civil War History
The Great Hanging of 1862 is a defining and painful chapter of Cooke County history
In October 1862, about 42 men suspected of Union loyalty were executed in Gainesville in what is known as the Great Hanging at Gainesville.
Coryell County · Military History
Fort Gates Came Before Gatesville
The U.S. Army built Fort Gates in 1849 on the Texas frontier, and its presence led directly to the founding of the county seat.