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History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Guadalupe County · Immigration History
German Settlers Shaped the County's Early Character
German immigrants began arriving in Guadalupe County in the mid-1840s and made up a large share of the population by the late 1800s.
Guadalupe County · County History
How Guadalupe County Was Created
Guadalupe County was established in 1846, carved from parts of Bexar and Gonzales counties after Texas joined the United States.
Guadalupe County · Oil History
Oil Was Discovered in Eastern Guadalupe County in the 1920s
Oil production began in eastern Guadalupe County during the 1920s at the Darst Creek fields, diversifying the local economy.
Guadalupe County · City History
Seguin: Named for a Tejano Hero of the Republic
Seguin was founded in 1838 and renamed in 1839 to honor Juan N. Seguín, a Tejano leader who fought for Texas independence.
Guadalupe County · Education & Culture
Texas Lutheran University Has Called Seguin Home Since 1912
Texas Lutheran University relocated to Seguin in 1912, anchoring the city as an education center in South Central Texas.
Hale County · Archaeology
A 9,000-year-old spear point found near Plainview changed American archaeology
In 1941, workers near Plainview found ancient bison bones and a uniquely shaped spear point that showed people lived here thousands of years ago.
Hale County · Agriculture & Economy
Cotton and irrigated farming built Hale County's economy
Hale County became one of Texas's leading farming counties, built on cotton, grain sorghum, wheat, corn, and Ogallala-fed irrigation.
Hale County · County History
Hale County was carved from open range in 1876 and organized in 1888
The county is named for a soldier who died at San Jacinto, and its seat Plainview was named for the vast treeless landscape its founders saw.
Hale County · Education & Culture
Wayland Baptist University has anchored Plainview since 1909
Wayland Baptist University is a four-year private university in Plainview that has shaped the town's identity for over a century.
Hall County · Music History
Bob Wills and the Town of Turkey
Bob Wills, the king of Western Swing music, grew up in Hall County near the town of Turkey, which still holds an annual tribute event in his honor.
Hall County · Historic Landmark
The 1922 Courthouse in Memphis
The Hall County Courthouse in Memphis was built in 1922 and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Hamilton County · Historic Landmark
Hamilton County Courthouse and Its History
The Hamilton County Courthouse was built in 1887. It blends three architectural styles and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hamilton County · County History
How Hamilton County Got Its Start
Hamilton County was founded in 1856 and named for a South Carolina governor who put his own money into Texas independence.
Hansford County · County History
How Spearman Became the County Seat
Hansford County was organized in 1889 with one town as its seat, but a railroad town founded in 1917 eventually took over that role.
Hardeman County · County History
How Quanah Became the County Seat
Quanah replaced Margaret as the Hardeman County seat in 1890 after the railroad arrived and drew new settlers.
Hardeman County · History & Place
Medicine Mounds: A Comanche Sacred Site Near Quanah
Four cone-shaped hills about 10 miles east of Quanah were considered sacred by the Comanche people for generations.
Hardin County · County History
Kountze became the county seat by a close vote after a courthouse fire
Kountze is the county seat of Hardin County, a title it won only after losing the first vote by eleven ballots and winning a rematch after the original courthouse burned.
Hardin County · Oil History
The 1903 Batson oil discovery helped launch the Texas Gulf Coast oil industry
The Batson-Old oilfield, discovered in southwestern Hardin County in 1903, was one of the fields that established Southeast Texas as the birthplace of the modern Texas oil industry.
Hardin County · Timber History
Timber shaped Hardin County long before oil arrived
Logging and sawmills drove Hardin County's first economic boom in the late 1800s, and commercial timber production continues in the county today.
Harris County · Oil History
Harris County Had One of Texas's Early Oil Discoveries
The Goose Creek Oil Field near Baytown in Harris County was one of the early Texas oil discoveries that helped fuel the county's industrial growth.
Harris County · Industrial Heritage
Harris County Has the Largest Concentration of Petrochemical Plants in the U.S.
The area along the Houston Ship Channel grew into the largest concentration of petrochemical manufacturing in the United States.
Harris County · Size and Scale
Harris County Is One of the Largest Counties in the U.S.
Harris County covers about 1,778 square miles and has grown to be one of the most populous counties in the United States.
Harris County · Demographics / Culture
Harris County Is One of the Most Diverse Counties in the U.S.
Harris County has grown through successive waves of immigration and migration, making it one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse large counties in the country.
Harris County · County History
Harris County Was Founded in 1836 and Named After an Early Settler
Harris County was established by the First Congress of the Republic of Texas and named after John R. Harris, who built an early port town on Buffalo Bayou.
Harris County · City History
Houston Was Founded in 1836 and Named After Sam Houston
The city of Houston was founded in 1836 by two brothers who bought land on Buffalo Bayou and named it after the hero of San Jacinto.
Harris County · Space History
NASA's Johnson Space Center Is in Harris County
NASA selected a site near Clear Lake in southeastern Harris County for what became the Johnson Space Center in 1961, shaping the Clear Lake area.
Harris County · State Historic Site
The Battle That Made Texas Happened in Harris County
The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site marks the location where Texas won its independence from Mexico on April 21, 1836.
Harris County · Industrial History
The Houston Ship Channel Turned Houston Into an Industrial Giant
The Houston Ship Channel, completed in 1914, connected Houston to the Gulf of Mexico and made Harris County a center of the petrochemical industry.
Harris County · WWII History
The Houston Ship Channel Was a Major WWII Industrial Center
During World War II, the Houston Ship Channel and Harris County became a critical center of wartime shipbuilding and petrochemical production.
Harrison County · County History
How Harrison County Got Its Name and County Seat
Harrison County was created in 1839 by the Republic of Texas and named for Jonas Harrison, a leader in the Texas independence movement.
Harrison County · Civil War History
Railroads and the Civil War Shaped Marshall
Marshall was a major railroad town and a Confederate military center during the Civil War. That history still shapes the town today.
Harrison County · Higher Education
Wiley College: A Historic HBCU in Marshall
Wiley College was founded in Marshall in 1873. It is one of the oldest historically Black colleges west of the Mississippi River.
Hartley County · Local History
Channing Grew Out of One of the Largest Ranches in American History
The county seat of Channing was founded as a railroad stop for the XIT Ranch and was so tied to that operation that the original courthouse was moved to town by XIT cowboys.
Haskell County · County history
How Haskell County got its name and county seat
Haskell County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1858 but not organized until 1885, when the county seat was named for a soldier who died at Goliad in 1836.
Hays County · County Founding
Hays County was carved from Travis County in 1848
The Texas Legislature created Hays County on March 1, 1848, and named San Marcos as the county seat from the start.
Hays County · City History
San Marcos has been a crossroads since before Texas was a state
People have gathered at the springs near San Marcos for thousands of years, and the city has grown into a regional hub for education and commerce.
Hays County · Natural Springs
San Marcos Springs is one of the largest natural spring systems in Texas
San Marcos Springs flows from the Edwards Aquifer through limestone faults and has sustained human life in the area for thousands of years.
Hays County · Higher Education & Economy
Texas State University shapes San Marcos and the local economy
Texas State University, one of the largest universities in Texas, has its main campus in San Marcos and is a major driver of the local economy and population.
Hays County · Geography
The Balcones Escarpment divides Hays County into two very different landscapes
A geological fault line called the Balcones Escarpment runs through Hays County, separating rocky Hill Country in the west from flatter farmland in the east.
Hays County · Historic Courthouse
The Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos is a historic landmark
The Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos is listed in a historic district and serves as both the seat of county government and a landmark of local architecture.
Hemphill County · Local History
Canadian Became the County Seat When the Railroad Arrived in 1887
The town of Canadian owes its existence to the railroad, which drove out the open-range cattle empires and put a permanent town on the map.
Henderson County · Local Tradition
Athens hosts the Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree each July
Athens, the Henderson County seat, celebrates its farming history with an annual Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree held in July.
Henderson County · County History
Henderson County is named for Texas's first governor
The Texas Legislature created Henderson County in 1846 and named it for James Pinckney Henderson, the state's first governor.
Henderson County · Settlement History
Henderson County was home to the first Norwegian settlement in Texas
Normandy, established in Henderson County in 1845, was the first Norwegian settlement in Texas.
Henderson County · Historic Building
The 1913 Henderson County Courthouse is a Classical Revival landmark
The Henderson County Courthouse in Athens, completed in 1914, features a Classical Revival design with a central dome and is still in use today.
Hidalgo County · County Seat History
Edinburg Was Renamed in 1911 After a Scandal
The county seat was originally called Chapin but was renamed Edinburg in 1911 after one of its founders was involved in a homicide.
Hidalgo County · Demographics
Hidalgo County Has One of the Largest Hispanic Populations in Texas
About 91 percent of Hidalgo County residents are Hispanic, reflecting the region's centuries-old Spanish and Mexican ranching roots.
Hidalgo County · County Facts
Hidalgo County Is One of the Most Populous Counties in Texas
Hidalgo County covers 1,596 square miles and had a population exceeding 831,000 by 2014—making it one of the largest counties in Texas by population.
Hidalgo County · County History
Hidalgo County Was Formed in 1852 and Named for a Mexican Hero
The county was established in 1852 and named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who began Mexico's fight for independence from Spain.
Hidalgo County · Settlement History
Spanish Ranchers Settled This Area More Than 275 Years Ago
The lower Rio Grande Valley was settled by Spanish ranching families in 1749 under José de Escandón, making it one of the older continuously settled regions in Texas.
Hidalgo County · Economic History
The Railroad and Irrigation Transformed the County After 1904
When the railroad arrived in 1904 and irrigation canals followed, Hidalgo County shifted from open-range ranching to intensive farming, and land values exploded.
Hill County · County Origins
Hill County was formed in 1853 and named for a Republic of Texas official
Hill County was carved from Navarro County in 1853 and named for Dr. George Washington Hill, who served in Sam Houston's cabinet.
Hill County · Agricultural Heritage
Hill County was once a top Texas cotton producer, boosted by a railroad in 1881
Cotton farming and the 1881 arrival of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad shaped Hill County's growth and its immigrant communities.
Hill County · Historic Courthouse
Hillsboro's 1890 courthouse burned in 1993 and was restored with help from Willie Nelson
The Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro is an 1890 limestone landmark that was heavily damaged by fire in 1993 and restored over six years.
Hockley County · County History
How Hockley County Went from Open Range to Cotton Country
Hockley County was carved from ranchland in the early 1900s, grew fast on cotton and irrigation, and later added oil to become the rural High Plains community it is today.
Hood County · Historic Landmark
Granbury's Courthouse Square Is a Well-Preserved Historic District
The Hood County Courthouse in Granbury was built in 1890-1891, survived a 1968 tornado, and was fully restored using a Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program grant.
Hood County · County History
Hood County Was Named for a Confederate General Who Never Visited
Hood County was formed in 1866 and named for Confederate General John Bell Hood, though he has no known connection to the land itself.
Hood County · Geography
The Brazos River Runs Through Granbury and Shapes the County
Hood County covers 425 square miles in north-central Texas, with the Brazos River as its main waterway and Lake Granbury as the central reservoir.
Hopkins County · County History
Hopkins County Was Founded in 1846 and Had Two County Seats
The Texas legislature created Hopkins County in March 1846 from parts of Lamar and Nacogdoches counties, and the county seat moved from Tarrant to Sulphur Springs in 1870.
Hopkins County · Agricultural Heritage
Hopkins County Was Once the Top Dairy County in Texas
A milk processing plant that opened in Sulphur Springs in 1937 transformed Hopkins County from a cotton-growing area into the leading dairy county in Texas by 1990.