Click Image to Enlarge
Texas Counties
Texas is divided into two hundred and fifty-four counties, more than any other state. Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931Brown County, Texas
Brown County Education, Geography, and History
Brown County is a county in west-central Texas. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 38,106. Its county seat is Brownwood. The county was
founded in 1856 and later organized in 1858. It is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco.
The Brownwood, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Brown County.
Etymology - Origin of Brown County Name
Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Brown County History
Much of the early development in West Central Texas was centered in Brown County. The first permanent settlements were made there before the war, but for many years the cattlemen had possession undisturbed except by Indian and outlaw.Brown County was created by act of the Legislature August 27. 1856, but there were only about a dozen pioneer families in the county. and county organization had to wait until 1858, when the coming of new settlers permitted the establishment of a local government. The Legislature directed that the County Court should select sites to be voted on as a county seat, and should also choose the name for the town, but the supplementary act of February 5, 1858, designated the name Brownwood for the county seat. The location of the old town was several miles down Pecan Bayou from the present site. The county was named in honor of Capt. Henry S. Brown, commander at the Battle of Velasco, a prominent Texan who died in 1834.
Handbook of Texas Online
The county was formed on the western frontier in 1856 from Comanche and Travis counties and organized in 1858,
with Brownwood designated as the county seat; the town was also awarded the county's first post office that year
with Wiley B. Brown as postmaster. In 1860 the United States census found 244 people living in the county, none of
them slaveholders. The census also counted 2,070 cattle in the area, and ninety-one acres of land was classified as
"improved." The county developed slowly between its founding and the 1870s, primarily because conditions were not
secure for settlement until the late 1870s or early 1880s, as settlers were harassed by Indians and white predators
for twenty years after the county was formed. The original settlers had to resist Comanches who entered the region
from the north at Mercer's Gap or from the west along Pecan Bayou, near Elkins. White desperados caused problems
too; in 1875 the Fort Worth-Brownwood stage was robbed five times in two months. Much of the criminal activity
during the 1870s was attributed to John Wesley Hardin's gang; in 1874 Brown
County citizens were among those who lynched suspected gang members at Comanche, and Hardin himself was forced to
flee. More at
John Leffler, "BROWN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb17),
accessed January 23, 2016. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 957 square miles (2,478 km2), of which, 944
square miles (2,445 km2) of it is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) of it (1.37%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Eastland County (north)
- Comanche County (northeast)
- Mills County (southeast)
- San Saba County (south)
- McCulloch County (southwest)
- Coleman County (west)
- Callahan County (northwest)
Education
Click Image to Enlarge
