Caldwell County carries Mathew Caldwell's name

Caldwell County was organized in 1848 with Lockhart as its seat. The name honors Mathew Caldwell, a Texas Ranger who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.

There is a sharp local thread in that choice. Caldwell was wounded in the Council House Fight and later joined the Battle of Plum Creek on August 12, 1840. The fighting began southeast of present-day Lockhart and continued west across the prairie. The first courthouse stood on today's square in 1848, so county government has occupied that ground from the beginning.