How Gregg County got its name

The Texas Legislature created Gregg County on April 12, 1873, carving it from southern Upshur County. Lawmakers first called it Roanoke County, but changed the name to honor John B. Gregg, a Confederate general who died in combat. Longview, already established as a railroad town since 1870, was chosen as the county seat.

Before the county was formed, the area was home to Caddo people and later Cherokee immigrants, who were removed in 1839. Anglo settlers moved in after Texas statehood in 1845. Early settlement depended on cotton farming and timber. That gives the county a layered backstory: Native homelands, forced removal, cotton farms, timber, railroads, and then Longview at the center.