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Erath County, Texas

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Contents

Formed

  • Erath County was created from Bosque and Coryell counties in 1856. It was named for George Bernard Erath, a hero of the Texas Revolution. The county seat is Stephenville.

History/Timeline

Moola the Cow


Formed From Erath County was created from Bosque and Coryell counties in 1856. It was named for George Bernard Erath, a hero of the Texas Revolution. The county seat is Stephenville.


1854 - John M. Stephen early settler in the area, donated land for town[1]
1856 - George Bernard Erath, lays out the town when Erath County was organized [1]
1857 - Thirty pioneers came to the area wiith surveyors George Erath and Neil McLennan., including John M. Stephen, his brother William F., and an African American family. The Stephens moved to the 4,409 acres of the John Blair survey, and an African American family may have been left alone in the post oak grove on the Bosque River, now the site of Stephenville. [2]
Caddo and Anadarko Indians still visited the area from their reservation in Young County. to establish relations with Caddo and Anadarko Indians, who still visited the area. [2]Town gets approved for post office with John Stephens as postmaster [1]
1857 - The newcomers referred to the indians as Comanches, but these Erath County Indians (Caddos and Anadarkos) actually discouraged raids by the real Comanches and worked with the Texas Rangers to prevent these raids. [2]
1858 - population reaches 766 people - but Indian attacks and the Civil War reduce it to 300 by 1871.[1]
1860 Robert S Neighbors moved the peaceful Caddo and Anadarko Indians were moved to Oklahoma and sure enough the Comanche raids continued.[2]
1861--73 Indian attacks, the Civil War, and raids by outlaw bands caused a decrease in population from to 1,801.[2]
1870 - First newspaper - The Texas Pacific is printed for Erath county .[1]
1873-1900 After the Comanches were resettled out of the area, the county grew rapidly, increasing to a population of 11,796 by 1880 and 30,000 by 1900.[2]
1875-1915 stock farming gave way to cotton farming, which became the major crop.[2]
1888 to 1921 The Texas Pacific Coal Company mined coal in the northwest corner of the county near Thurber.[2]
1889 - Ft. Worth and Rio Grande Railroad arrives. [1]
1890s - Second newspaper appears - John Tarleton Agricultural College opens.[1]
1890-1910 Agricultural agents warned farmers of the damage to the soil due to cotton without no diversification.. Investments in ginning equipment prevented changes until 1910. [2]
1910 Soil Erosion, worn out soil without rotating crops and the boll weevil led to dwindling profits led farmers to consult authorities and find alternatives.
1892 - Erath County courthouse is built. Designed by J. Riely Gordon.[1]
20th Century History of Erath County is rather quiet. The growth has been slow and steady with John Tarleton College becoming Tarleton University. [1][2]
1900-1950- Dairy farms, fruit orchards, nurseries, production of peanuts and feed crops, and an extensive poultry industry all began until 1950 [2]
1918 The Thurber Brick Company was established manufacturing tile, sewer pipes, paving bricks, and stoneware. Small amounts of oil and natural gas were also mined.[2]
Erath County became the top producing dairy county in the state - as proclaimed on the square by Moola the cow.[1]
1970s Small industries appeared. 80% of county income of $70 million was dairy and beef cattle. Crops currently are Peanuts, sorghum, hay, grain, such as wheat, alfalfa, but 80% of the annual county income of $70 million was still from dairy and beef cattle and other livestock. [2]
1980s Erath County was the second leading county in Texas in milk production in the 1980s. Peanuts, sorghum, hay, and small grains continued to be important.[2]

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06


Adjacent Counties


Northwest
 North
Palo Pinto County		 Northeast
Hood County
Somervell County
North arrow
West
Eastland County		 West arrow Erath County,Texas East arrow East
South arrow
Southwest
Comanche County		 South
 Southeast
Bosque County
Hamilton County


Government Offices

Erath county has had 3 courthouses: 1856, 1866, 1892-present.[3]

1st Courthouse, 1856 - The first county courthouse, was a wood frame structure built in 1856, This was destroyed by fire in 1866. In 1866, the county's first courthouse, a wooden structure, burned. The blaze could be seen for miles away. [3]

2nd County Courthouse, 1866 When the county decided to build another structure, they didn't take their chances: they built it of stone. However, by 1887, that one needed serious help. [3]

A short drive from Dublin is the county seat in Stephenville. John M. Stephen bought the land known as Erath County from the heirs of an Alamo defender, John Blair. Stephen donated the land that the first courthouse would stand on and, since the land was his, he dubbed the city "Stephenville".

1892 Courthouse

3rd County Courthouse, 1892 Erath County courthouse in Stephenville, designed by J. Reily Gordon. This is Romanesque Revival, with materials of locally quarried limestone, scents of Pecos sandstone.The existing courthouse is the third courthouse that has been the seat of justice for Erath County. At that time, the city of Dublin had the idea of building the courthouse. It was 4 years before the county completed this. First there was a vote to determine whether to keep the county seat in Stephenville or move to Dublin. The votes 1891 kept the county seat in Stephenville. The old block-style courthouse was razed, and plans were made for the new county courthouse. Architect was J.Reily Gordon, (with a flair for design) , who designed other Texas county courthouses, and other buildings near the Courthouse Square such as the 1889 First National Bank. His bid was $65,000 completion was $10,000 less than the county wanted to spend. The cornerstone was laid on December 3, 1891. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.[3]

1892 Courthouse Tower

Dakota Wolf, Bison Bill and Swoops are depicted near the bottom. Photo by Taylor Lang. This three-story tall structure is made of native limestone from the Leon River and red sandstone from the Pecos River. This courthouse is different from many other Texas courthouses in that the tower is in the center as opposed to being off to one side. Instead of having a corner entrance, Gordon brought the two intermediate bays forward and topped them with triangular pediments. Syrian columns support the N entrance arch. In the central tower, a Howard clock was installed many years after the courthouse's completion. East Texas pine was the wood of choice for the interior, while imported marble covered the floors. Cast and wrought iron were used for the stairway. One could walk into the atrium and peer up at the bell tower many feet up.[3]

I1988, the courthouse was restored. In this restoration, the opening in the atrium leading up to the tower was sealed off. Fortunately, this will be reopened soon through a grant the county received through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.[3]


Adjacent Counties


Northwest
 North
Palo Pinto County		 Northeast
Hood County
Somervell County
North arrow
West
Eastland County		 West arrow Erath County,Texas East arrow East
South arrow
Southwest
Comanche County		 South
 Southeast
Bosque County
Hamilton County


Geography

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06

Earth County, pronounced: (EE-rath) was marked off from Bosque and Coryell counties in 1856 and named for George B. Erath, one of the original surveyors of the area.

Center of the county is near Stephenville, 80 miles SW of Dallas (at 32°10' N, 98°15' W).
Size - 1,983 square miles
Regions - 1) Western Cross Timbers on NW 2/3 of county 2) Grand Prairie -SE 1/3 of county
Soil - Western Cross Timbers has sandy, red clay, Grand Prairie has dark limy soil.
Vegetation/Trees - Western Cross timbers - post oak. Grand Prairie -- little bluestem, live oak groves,
Minerals - the Cretaceous sediment- revealing bituminous coal, fireclay, oil, and natural gas. The sand of the southern part is of glass-making quality.
Animal life -badgers, civet cats, grey foxes, minks, wolves, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, and quail.
Altitude ranges from 900 to 1,750 feet
Rainfall averages twenty-nine inches a year
Temperature a low of 34° F during January to 96° in July
Growing season lasts 238 days.
Rivers/creeks- Paluxy and Bosque rivers, are tributaries of the Brazos.


https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06


Lakes

Major Highways

  • Interstate Highway 20
  • U.S. Highway 67
  • U.S. Highway 281
  • U.S. Highway 377
  • State Highway 6
  • State Highway 108

Railroads

  • FWWR - Fort Worth and Western Railroad Crosses the central and SW parts of the county

Protected areas

Natural gas plants

Demographics

In 2010, Erath county population was 37,890

  • In 2014 Citizens age twenty-five and older, 77% high school degrees and 25% had college degrees.
In the early twenty-first century agriculture, various manufacturing operations, and higher education were important elements of the local economy. By 2002 the county had 1,977 farms and ranches covering 580,627 acres, 52%o were pasture, with 38% cropland and 8% woodland. Farmers and ranchers in the area earned $207,714,000; livestock sales $197,746,000 of the total. [4]
2002 That year Erath County led the state in milk production; beef cattle, horticulture, and horses

Erath County is included in the Stephenville, Texas, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

  • Erath County is the location of two of North America's largest renewable natural gas plants. The largest is at Huckabay Ridge, near Stephenville. The second largest is located outside of Dublin at Rio Leche Estates.

Protected areas

  • Natural gas plants


  • Erath County became the top producing dairy county in the state - as proclaimed on the square by Moola the cow.
Moola the Cow, Stephenville, Texas

Politics Most of Erath County’s voters supported the Democratic presidential candidates in almost every election from 1856 through 1948; with a few exceptions: 1860, when Constitution Union candidate John Bell carried the county, and in 1928, when Republican Herbert Hoover did. 1952 Republican dwight D Eisenhower captured the county votes. Democratic presidential candidates took the county in 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976 and 1980, the Republicans have carried the area in 1956, 1972, and in every election from 1984 through 2004.Erath County is heavily Republican. In 2012, Mitt Romney won the county in the presidential election, taking over 80% of the vote. The last Democrat to win the county was Jimmy Carter in 1980.[23][5]

  • On November 4, 2008, Erath County voters elected to allow the sale of beer and wine in the county for off-premises consumption.

Cities/Communities

Population as of Jan 1, 2014 is shown in parenthesis.

  • Dublin - Dr Pepper was made there with Imperial Cane Sugar straight from Sugar Land, Texas instead of corn syrup or other sweeteners. Zing! [6]
  • Stephenville- county seat (18,715)]]



Events/Festivals


  • Dairy Fest in June
  • St Patrick's Day Celebration in March in Dublin
  • University's fine arts center,
  • Bosque River Park
  • Dairy Fest in June

Schools

Colleges and Universities

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kct02 https://www.tarleton.edu/traditions/index.html

Public Schools

Listed by category within Independent School District (ISD). Stephenville ISD

  • Stephenville High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Henderson Jr. High School (Grades 7-8)
  • Gilbert Intermediate School (Grades 5-6)
  • Hook Elementary School (Grades 3-4)
  • Chamberlin Elementary School (Grades 1-2)
  • Central Elementary School (Grades PK-K)
  • Erath Excels! Academy (Grades 7-12)


Historical Census

1860 2,425

— 1870 1,801

−25.7% 1880 11,796

555.0% 1890 21,584

83.0% 1900 29,966

38.8% 1910 32,095

7.1% 1920 28,385

−11.6% 1930 20,804

−26.7% 1940 20,760

−0.2% 1950 18,434

−11.2% 1960 16,236

−11.9% 1970 18,141

11.7% 1980 22,560

24.4% 1990 27,991

24.1% 2000 33,001

17.9% 2010 37,890

14.8% Est. 2015 41,122 [19] 8.5%

Notables

Ryan Bingham, Americana singer-songwriter
Milton Brown, Father of Western Swing
Robert A. Calvert, Texas historian
Jacobs Crawley, rodeo world champion
Ben Hogan, professional golfer
Brock Holt, 2015 MLB All-Star baseball player
Kevin Kolb, NFL quarterback
Ty Murray, world champion pro rodeo cowboy
Lee Roy Parnell, country music artist
Sam M. Russell, politician
Red Snapp, baseball player
Hugh Wolfe, football player

Cemeteries

City if The Dead



Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/StephenvilleTexas/StephenvilleTexas.htm
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 http://www.texasescapes.com/Counties/Erath-County-Texas.htm
  4. ↑ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06
  5. ↑ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hce06
  6. ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/TRIPS/GreatAmericanLegendTour/ErathCountyTx/ErathCountyCourthouse.htm




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