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History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
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 · Festival
De Leon Turned a Crop Change into a Summer Tradition
De Leon's festival began in 1914, the same year its peanut mill was operating after boll weevils pushed local fields away from cotton.
Comanche County · Courthouse Square
Four Limestone Eagles Guard the Courthouse Doors
Native stone from six miles west of town became a WPA courthouse of stepped blocks, flat roofs, Art Deco details, and an eagle over every entrance.
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.
Coryell County · Historic District
Gatesville's Downtown Is a National Historic District
The Gatesville downtown was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in early 2026, covering 87 buildings from the late 1800s through the 1970s.
Coryell County · County Origins
How Coryell County Got Its Name
The county is named for James Coryell, an early Texas frontiersman, and was created by the state legislature in 1854.
Coryell County · Stage stop
Ogletree Gap Is Where Copperas Cove Started Moving
The stone stagestop at Ogletree Gap ties Copperas Cove to the stagecoach road, an early post office, and the railroad shift that pulled the town center downhill.
Coryell County · Historic bridge
The Old Leon River Bridge Shows How Gatesville Crossed the Water
The 1904 Leon River Bridge on West Leon Street turns an old river crossing into one of Gatesville's clearest pieces of civic hardware.
Cottle County · County History
Cottle County Was Cattle Country Before It Was Cotton Country
Cottle County was organized in 1892 and built its early economy on large cattle ranches before cotton farming took over in the early 1900s.
Crane County · County History
Crane County went from near-empty to oil boomtown in one decade
Crane County had fewer than 100 residents in 1900, but oil discovered in 1926 brought thousands of workers almost overnight.
Crane County · Historic Sites
Horsehead Crossing on the Pecos River is a historic landmark in Crane County
Horsehead Crossing, on the Pecos River near the county's southern boundary, was a key ford used by cattle drives and travelers heading west in the 1800s.
Crockett County · County History
Ozona Is the Only Town in Crockett County
Crockett County has one incorporated place, Ozona, and the rest of the county is open ranch land.
Crosby County · Local History
Crosby County's Deep History: Comanches, Quakers, and Cowboys
Crosby County has a layered past that runs from ancient Paleo-Indian camps to a Quaker colony, major cattle ranches, and a railroad that built the county seat.
Culberson County · Local History
Van Horn: how Culberson County's seat got its name
Culberson County was carved out of El Paso County in 1911, and its seat Van Horn traces its name to a Civil War-era Army officer stationed at a desert water source.
Dallam County · Local History
Dalhart Grew from Two Railroads and the XIT Ranch
Dalhart was founded in 1901 where two railroads crossed, and became a major shipping point for the legendary XIT Ranch.
Dallas County · Agricultural History
Cotton Once Drove Dallas County's Economy
Dallas County was a major cotton producer by 1900, but the crop declined every year afterward as the county urbanized.
Dallas County · Historic Preservation
Dallas County Has a Local Historical Commission
The Dallas County Historical Commission (DCHC) advises the county on historic preservation and reviews applications for Texas historical markers.
Dallas County · Demographics
Dallas County Is One of the Most Diverse in Texas
By 2014, Dallas County's population was roughly 39 percent Hispanic, 31.7 percent Anglo, and 23 percent African American.
Dallas County · County History
Dallas County Was Created in 1846
Texas formed Dallas County on March 30, 1846, from parts of Nacogdoches and Robertson counties, and the city of Dallas became county seat after a close vote in 1850.
Dallas County · Historic District
Fair Park Carries Dallas's Art Deco and State Fair Story
Fair Park is a Dallas Landmark District, National Register property, and National Historic Landmark tied to the State Fair and the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.
Dallas County · Black History
Freedman's Cemetery Marks a Deep North Dallas Community Story
Freedman's Cemetery is an official Dallas landmark tied to the city's early African American community and the historic North Dallas neighborhood.
Dallas County · Oak Cliff
Lake Cliff Park Connects Oak Cliff to Amusement-Park and WPA History
Lake Cliff Historic District includes an old Oak Cliff park landscape, early neighborhood structures, and city park features shaped by New Deal-era work.
Dallas County · Architecture
Swiss Avenue Shows Dallas's Early Historic-District Architecture
Swiss Avenue is a Dallas historic district with roughly 200 homes in revival, Prairie, and Bungalow styles, and the first local historic district designated in the city.
Dallas County · Historic Courthouse
The Old Red Courthouse Is a Dallas Landmark from 1892
The 1892 Dallas County Courthouse, known as Old Red, was restored and rededicated as a history museum in 2007.
Dallas County · Railroad History
The Railroad Made Dallas County a Commerce Hub
Two major railroads arrived in the early 1870s, transforming Dallas County from a farm settlement into a regional trade center.
Dallas County · Historic Sites
The THC Atlas Lists Historic Sites Across Dallas County
The Texas Historical Commission's online Atlas database catalogs historic markers, cemeteries, and landmark sites across Dallas County.
Dawson County · Agriculture History
Cotton built Dawson County and still shapes its land and economy
Dawson County's identity was built on cotton farming, and the flat High Plains terrain that made that possible still defines the landscape today.
Deaf Smith County · Local History
A WWII prisoner-of-war camp once stood just outside Hereford
During World War II, a large military camp near Hereford held about 5,000 Italian prisoners of war; a restored chapel and state historical marker are the main physical reminders today.
Deaf Smith County · Place Identity
Before Beef Capital, Hereford Was Windmill City
About 400 windmill towers once dotted Hereford's horizon, lifting High Plains groundwater before cattle became the city's public calling card.
Deaf Smith County · County Origins
Deaf Smith County was cattle country first; the railroad built Hereford
The county is named for a Texas Revolution scout, started as open-range ranch land, and only got its permanent county seat after the railroad arrived in the late 1890s.
Deaf Smith County · County Museum
Hereford's Museum Keeps a Barber's Circus and an Early Jail Cell
A 1927 Catholic school now holds a hand-carved three-ring circus and early household rooms, while a half-dugout, caboose, windmill, and jail cells stand outside.
Delta County · County History
Why Delta County Is Shaped Like a Triangle
Delta County got its name from its triangular shape. It sits in a wedge of land between the North and South Sulphur rivers in northeast Texas.
Denton County · County Origins
Denton County was created in 1846 and named for a preacher killed in a raid
The Texas legislature carved Denton County out of Fannin County in 1846 and named it for John Bunyan Denton, a preacher-lawyer who died in an 1841 raid.
Denton County · University Town
Denton is home to two major state universities
The University of North Texas (founded 1890) and Texas Woman's University (founded 1901 as Girls Industrial College) both anchor Denton's identity as a college town.
Denton County · Historic Courthouse
Denton's 1896 stone courthouse still stands on the downtown square
The Denton County Courthouse on the downtown square was built in 1896 from stone quarried a few miles north of Denton.
Denton County · Growth & Development
Highways, an airport, and two universities remade Denton County
Denton County grew from 47,432 residents in 1960 to 906,422 in the 2020 Census as highways, DFW Airport, and two universities changed its map.
Denton County · Economic History
Railroads in the 1880s turned Denton County into a major wheat producer
When railroads reached Denton County in the 1880s, wheat production surged and the county ranked among the state leaders in wheat output for decades.
Denton County · County Seat History
The county seat moved three times before settling in Denton in the 1850s
Denton County's county seat shifted from Pinckneyville to Alton to a temporary site and finally to Denton, which was founded in 1857 on donated land.
DeWitt County · Turkey Trot
Cuero's Turkey Story Went From Trot to Ruby Begonia
Cuero's Turkey Trot began in 1912; the modern TurkeyFest began in 1973 and still puts a locally named racing bird at the center.
DeWitt County · Cattle History
DeWitt County Was the Starting Point of the First Chisholm Trail Drive
The area near present-day Cuero is where the first commercial cattle drives up the Chisholm Trail began in 1866, shaping this county's identity for generations.
DeWitt County · Nordheim
Pilot Knob Became Nordheim's Hilltop Dance Floor
A landmark used by travelers later held concerts, shooting matches, festivals, and a dance platform before becoming the community cemetery.
DeWitt County · Historic Courthouse
The 1896 DeWitt County Courthouse Was Fully Restored and Is Worth a Visit
The DeWitt County Courthouse in Cuero was built in 1896 in Romanesque Revival style and underwent a thorough restoration that reopened in 2007.
DeWitt County · Yorktown
Yorktown Was a Way Station Before It Was a Town
The community began in 1848 on the Old Indianola Trail, then added a school, charter, incorporation, and railroad in that order.
Dickens County · County Name
Dickens County Is Named for a Man Who Died at the Alamo
The county and its seat are both named for J. Dickens, a soldier who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
Dickens County · Geography
Dickens County Straddles the Caprock Escarpment
The county has two distinct landscapes — flat High Plains to the northwest above the Caprock, and rolling breaks below it to the southeast.
Dickens County · Ranching History
The Spur Ranch Once Covered Much of Dickens County
The Spur Ranch (Espuela Cattle Company) was one of the largest ranches in Texas and shaped how Dickens County was settled.
Dimmit County · County History
Carrizo Springs Has Been the County Seat Since 1880
Dimmit County was formed in 1858 and Carrizo Springs grew from a small ranching camp into the permanent county seat.
Dimmit County · Agriculture History
Dimmit County Was Part of the Texas Winter Garden Region
Artesian wells discovered in the 1880s turned Dimmit County into a vegetable farming area known as the Texas Winter Garden Region.
Donley County · Town Origins
Clarendon Started as a Dry Methodist Colony on the Open Prairie
Clarendon was founded in 1878 by a Methodist minister who wanted a temperance community on the Texas Panhandle, earning it the nickname 'Saints' Roost.'
Donley County · Historic Courthouse
Donley County's 1891 Courthouse Is Still in Use Today
The Donley County Courthouse in Clarendon was built in 1891, survived a tornado that took off its top floor, and was fully restored in 2003.
Duval County · Culture & Heritage
Duval County Has Deep Tejano Roots
Most people in Duval County are Hispanic. The county's culture comes from Tejano and South Texas ranching traditions.
Duval County · County History
Duval County Was Named for a Victim of the Goliad Massacre
Duval County was created in 1858 and named for Burr H. Duval, a soldier killed during the Texas Revolution.
Eastland County · Oil Boom History
The 1917 Ranger oil strike transformed Eastland County
An oil strike near the town of Ranger in 1917 flooded the county with workers and money, briefly making it one of the most active places in Texas.
Eastland County · Local History
The Eastland County Courthouse and Old Rip
Eastland's courthouse holds the preserved remains of Old Rip, a horned lizard that became a national story in 1928.
Ector County · Natural Landmark
A Meteor Crater Sits About Ten Miles Southwest of Odessa
The Odessa Meteor Crater is a prehistoric impact site in south-central Ector County, designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.