San Saba County, Texas
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Welcome to San Saba County, Texas Project!
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History/Timeline
- San Saba County was formed and organized in 1856 from Bexar District.[1]
http://www.sansabatexas.com/history/
- 5000 years ago, county was thickly populated with prehistoric man. Artifacts found in past 75 years in areas near San Saba, Colorado and other creeks.[2]
- 1700-1800s - American Indians of Central West Texas, the Comanches, the Lipans, Cherokees, Wacos, Caddoes, and Kickapoos used the streams of San Saba County as favorite camping grounds. [3]
- late 1700s - Juan Antonio Bustillo y Zevallos, explored along the San Saba River to encounter the Apache in present Menard County.
- 1758 The presidio had 400 people residing there counting wives and children of the soldiers, when the Comanches attacked after their attack on the mission. The presidio defended itself.[2]
- 1755 - Holy Saturday (Santo Sabado) Spaniards, a priest and soldiers, sought a site for a mission and presidio and found clear, spring-fed stream near Menard.[2]
- April, 1757 -San Saba de la Santa Cruz Mission was established in April, 1757, by Fray Alonso Giraldo de Terreros of the college of Santa Cruz de Queretaro, and Pedro Romero de Qerreros. The mission was located on the south bank of the San Saba River a short distance from the ford of Santa Cruz near the present town of Menard.[2]
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| San Ssaba de la Santa Cruz Mission and Presidio. |
- April, 1757 - Presidio de San Saba, the popular name for the presidio of San Luis de las Amarillas was built as a protection for the mission of San Saba de la Santa Cruz on the San Saba River. The presidio was located on the river one mile NW of present Menard. First commander was Diego Ortiz Parrilla, who was in charge of 100 men (troops from San Francisco Xavier Presidio. [2]
- Mar 1761 - name of the presidio was changed in March, 1761, to Real Presidio de San Saba. :1762 Captain Felipe Rabago y Teran,replaced Parrilla, sustained almost continuous warfare with the Comanche and other northern Indian tribes whose raids were the worst in 1764
- 1767 - Rabago y Teran urged abandonment of the fort because of the uncertainty of its ability to hold out. In 1767, the families at San Saba were moved to San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz Mission. [2]
- June, 1768, Rabago y Teran abandoned San Saba without permission and retreated to San Lorenzo.. [2]
- 1769 The garrison remained at the mission, when it was moved to San Fernando de Austria, south of the Rio Grande.[2]
- 1788 - Jose Mares crossed this area exploring from Antonio to Santa Fe.[3]
- 1847 - The Meusebach–Comanche Treaty was signed in San Saba County.[3]
- 1847 - 1st community was Richland Creek, named at that time "County Seat". Other settlements known as Bolts Settlement, Sulphur Springs, and Rochester [2]
- 1848 Cattle drives from Texas to Abilene, Kansas began. This stimulated raising of cattle.
- 1853-54 - Prospectors explored. Settlers filed on land, 1855 and 1856. Herds of cattle were driven through area, such as one of 5000 driven from Bastrop and Travis counties.[3]
- 1854 - San Saba settled, named for location on San Saba River.[2]
- May 3, 1856 -San Saba Historic Courthouse The first county election, held designated Rowe’s Lane as the county seat. Its courthouse ws completed by 1857. First 2-story wooden courthouse. 1857 - 1st Post office established.
- 1862-65 San Sabans who served in the Confederate forces were in the regiment of Col. James E. McCord. Their primary assignment was to protect the frontier, and they used Camp San Saba, a ranger station in McCulloch County, as their base of operations.[4]
- 1863 thru 1892 San Saba Masonic College established at San Saba, Texas, chartered on Dec 11, 1863. This was donated to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1879, re-chartered on May 25, 1885, under the name of San Saba College. The church discontinued the school after 1886. School was a nonsectarian college in 1890-92. [2]
- Post Civil War and Reconstructions, cattle increased, trail driving was important economic factor of San Saba.[3]
- 1870s Edmund Risen arrived from England, found light colored thin shelled pecan, and named it "San Saba Pecan". He planted an orchard of 600 trees. He developed other varieties, such as Onliwon, Squirrels Delight, San Saba Improved, and Western Schley. San Saba is the Pecan Capital of the World.[2]
- 1870- San Saba began raising sheep..Pecans are indigenous to the county and have been a cash crop since as early as 1857[3]
- March 11, 1875 chartering of the Fleming San Saba Irrigation Company, a system of first class canals, beginning opposite the mouth of Brady’s Creek on the S side of the San Saba River and E to the town of San Saba, opened up an era of farm irrigation in the county.
- 1880s to 1950s San Saba county is still agricultural, predominantly a ranching area with wool and mohair the chief sources of farm income. PECANS, Longhorn Cattle, Beef cattle, horses, hogs, mules, and poultry are raised as well as sheep and goats.
- 1880 vigilante mob killed a number of San Saba County settlers. Vigilante mob rule whipped and forced out numerous people in towns throughout Texas, and took 140 lives in Texas following the Civil War. San Saba County saw the worst of the violence, with 25 lives taken by lynching from 1880-1896. Mob killings in Texas in the years after the war were racially motivated crimes committed by members of the Ku Klux Klan against suspected slave rebels and white abolitionists. An investigation led to the Texas Rangers, who restored order.[3]
- 1896 the Texas Rangers investigated. Uluth M. Sanderson, editor of the San Saba County News, ran editorials against the mob. [3]
- Texas Ranger, Captain Bill McDonald and District Attorney W.C. Linder broke up the mob. Since many executions were racially motivated, and involvement of the Ku Klux Klan )KKK), this was investigated..Most of the people killed by vigilante mobs in the five years after the war were "suspected slave rebels and white abolitionists". The San Saba County lynchers, the deadliest of the lot, claimed some 25 victims between 1880 and 1896. [3][5]
- 1884 - town had 4 churches, 2 schools, sawmill, gristmill, bank, newspaper, post office.[2]
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| 1884 jail |
- 1919 - 60 carloads of PECANS were shipped out. Normal production is 2-5 million pounds.
- 1933 -shipping point for cattle, PECANS, sheep, wool, pecans, and turkeys.[2]
- July 23,1938 - Greatest flood of the San Saba River. The highest crest was 45 feet above flood stage on Saturday, July 23. 2nd crest came the following day, 2-3 feet lower crest than Saturday crest. Newspapers carried the reports and pictures in the Dallas Morning News, The Saba News and Star, and the Wichita Falls Record News showing the flood spread over 1/3 of the City, 300 residents were Red Cross. [2]
- Highway bridge to Brownwood was washed away. Thus residents on N or river were cut off from San Saba City.[2]
- 1880-s to 1950s San Saba county is still agricultural, predominantly a ranching area with wool and mohair the chief sources of farm income. PECANS, Longhorn Cattle, Beef cattle, horses, hogs, mules, and poultry are raised as well as sheep and goats.[2]
- Harkeyville, Richland Springs, Pecan Grove, and Bend were heavy sufferers of floods. Damage -$100,000 to $500,000 in San Saba and from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 in San Saba County.[2]
- 1953 to 1956. Drought -- Bad The total rainfall for four-year period was 63.08 inches, or an average of 15.77 inches/year, and of that 63.08 inches, 10.12 inches occurred during May and June of 1955.decreased growing important crops in the San Saba area, except where irrigation water for irrigation was available. The principal crops that grown in San Saba County are hay, wheat, oats, grain sorghums, peanuts, PECANS, fruits. [2]
Bibliography: Alice Gray Upchurch, “A Sketch of San Saba County, Texas”, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, L (1946—1947). Alma Ward Hamrick, The Call of the San Saba: A History of San Saba County (1941).
Texas Almanac (1947, 1980) Daniel C. Pfannstiel, Long-Range County Program, 197
Bibliography: H. E. Bolton, “Texas in the Middle Eighteenth Century” (1915). C.E. Castaneda, “Our Catholic Heritage”, III-IV (1938- 1942).
Government Offices
San Saba County has had three courthouses: 1857, 1878 and 1911
- 1st Courthouse, 1857 - 2 story frame building
2nd Courthouse, 1878 - 2 story stone courthouse, provided space for social gatherings, court.
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| 1911 courthouse. |
3rd Courthouse, 1911 to present Chamberlin and Co was the architect, material is brick and sandstone. This 1911 is in the style known as Texas Renaissance. In fact, the Late Williard Robinson, called it the archetype of the style – according to Courthouses of Texas by Mavis Kelsey and Donald H. Dyal. Photographer's Note:"The courthouse in San Saba is one of the few courthouses in Texas with a statement ("From the people to the people") carved over its entrances. [6]
Geography
http://www.sansabatexas.com/history/
- Pecan Capital of the World - two to five million pounds annually
- Location - N edge of Edwards Platau, near the geographic center of the State.
- Topography - rolling, wooded hills,
- Rivers - San Saba River with the Colorado River running along its N and E borders.
- Economy of the area is agriculture, cattle, sheep, goat, swine, and turkey raising, Pecans. . The county is also a major producer of building stone and is known throughout the State as a leading hunting area.
- Type: in the Llano Basin; a small portion of the N part of the county is in the West Cross Timbers.
- Terrain is rolling but in some areas is quite rugged.
- Major production - Ranching and pecans are the major occupation in rougher areas, (farming is leading in the valleys near the Colorado and San Saba rivers.
- Soils - alluvial in the valleys, with some sandy soils and sandy loams, uplands have a greater concentration of black and gray soils.
- Elevation -1,100 feet to 1,800 feet;
- City of San Saba is 1,200 feet above sea level.
- Rainfall averages 28.22 inches annually.
- Temperature in January is 34 degrees and in July is 96 degrees.
- Frost is first is November 14th, and average last frost is April 1st.
- Mountain: - San Saba Peak in S-central Mills Co., 7 miles S of Goldthwaite, elevation 1,712 ft.
- San Saba Peak, located in south central Mills County about 7 miles south of Goldthwaite.
- River -San Saba River rises in E Schleicher Co.- 3 streams (North Valley Prong, Middle Valley Prong, Terrett Draw; unite to form San Saba River near Fort MeKavett (W Menard Co.)
- Historical - mission of San Saba de la Santa Cruz and the San Saba Presidio.
http://www.sansabatexas.com/history/
Adjacent counties
- Mills County (north)
- Lampasas County (east)
- Burnet County (southeast)
- Llano County (south)
- Mason County (southwest)
- McCulloch County (west)
- Brown County (northwest)
Demographics
In 2010 there were 6,131 people residing in the county with a population density of 6 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 84.50% White, 2.73% Black or African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 10.52% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. About 21.6% of the population were Hispanic. The median income for a household in the county was $30,104, and for a family was $35,255. The per capita income for the county was $15,309. About 13.30% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.50% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.
Highways:
- U.S. Highway 190
- Texas State Highway 16
- Texas Farm to Market Road 4
- San Saba County is home to the only suspension bridge open to traffic in the State; the Regency Bridge spanning the Colorado River, located off FM 500 in the northern part of the county, was built in 1939.
- The Beveridge Bridge, built in 1896 spanning the San Saba River, was the only other suspension bridge in Texas open to traffic until 2004, when it was replaced by a concrete bridge. The Beveridge Bridge, since restored and open as a pedestrian bridge, is located on the NW edge of the city of San Saba, on China Creek Road, just N of the Wedding Oak.
Town
- Richland Springs
- San Saba (county seat)
Formed From
- Bexar County
Resources
- genealogy, San Saba county, Texas
- German settlements
- German-Texan Heritage Society
- Texas German Society.
Census
- 1860 --- 913 —
- 1870 --- 1,425 56.1%
- 1880 --- 5,324 273.6%
- 1890 --- 6,641 24.7%
- 1900 --- 7,569 14.0%
- 1920 --- 10,045 —
- 1930 --- 10,273 2.3%
- 1940 --- 11,012 7.2%
- 1950 --- 8,666 −21.3%
- 1960 --- 6,381 −26.4%
- 1970 --- 5,540 −13.2%
- 1980 --- 5,693 2.8%
- 1990 --- 5,401 −5.1%
- 2000 --- 6,186 14.5%
- 2010 --- 6,131 −0.9%
- Est. 2015 --- 5,901
Notables
- Actor Tommy Lee Jones was born in San Saba and owns a ranch outside of town.
Land Grants
- Adelsverein for German emigration organized by German noblemen to emigrate to Texas beginning with Fisher Miller Grant. Prince Carl of Solms investigated and declared Fisher Miller was too far from the coastline. He directed to Comal county area.
Cemeteries
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- San Saba cemeteriesGloria Mayfield
- FindaGrave cemeteries
- TXGenWeb
Sources
- ↑ https://texasalmanac.com/index.php?q=topics/government/san-saba-county
- ↑ 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 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 http://www.sansabatexas.com/history/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Saba_County,_Texas
- ↑ https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcs05
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Saba_County,_Texas
- ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/San-Saba-County-Courthouse.htm
- Bibliography: Alice Gray Upchurch, “A Sketch of San Saba County, Texas”, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, L (1946—1947). Alma Ward Hamrick, The Call of the San Saba: A History of San Saba County (1941).
- Texas Almanac (1947, 1980) Daniel C. Pfannstiel, Long-Range County Program, 1977.
- Bibliography: H. E. Bolton, “Texas in the Middle Eighteenth Century” (1915). C.E. Castaneda, “Our Catholic Heritage”, III-IV (1938- 1942).
- Bibliography: Alice Gray Upchurch, “A Sketch of San Saba County, Texas”, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, L (1946—1947). Alma Ward Hamrick, The Call of the San Saba: A History of San Saba County (1941).
Texas Almanac (1947, 1980) Daniel C. Pfannstiel, Long-Range County Program, 1977.
- Bibliography: H. E. Bolton, “Texas in the Middle Eighteenth Century” (1915). C.E. Castaneda, “Our Catholic Heritage”, III-IV (1938- 1942).
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