Texas Counties
Texas County map
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 1931
 

Stephens County, Texas

Stephens County Education, Geography, and History

Stephens County, Texas Courthouse

Stephens County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 9,630. Its county seat is Breckenridge. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1876. It was originally named Buchanan County, after US President James Buchanan, but was renamed in 1861 for Alexander H. Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America.

Etymology - Origin of Stephens County Name

Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the only vice-president of the Confederate States of America

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Stephens County History

Stephens County is a county located in the US state of Texas. Its county seat is Breckenridge. The county was originally named Buchanan County, after US President James Buchanan, but was renamed in 1861 for Alexander H. Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America.

Handbook of Texas Online
Comanches and Tonkawas occupied what is now Stephens County before Anglo settlement began in the late 1850s. John R. Baylor, probably the first white settler in the area, built a cabin on the Clear Fork in 1857, and others soon followed. The Texas legislature established Stephens County in 1858 from lands formerly assigned to Bosque County. By 1860 there were 198 people living in the area; the United States census did not report any slaves living in the county at that time. In 1861, after Texas had left the Union, the small town of Picketville was designated the temporary county seat, and the county was renamed to honor the vice president of the Confederacy. During the Civil War about 100 local residents lived together for protection at Fort Davis, a "citizens' fort" in the area; a school was established at the place. A salt works was operated on Big Caddo Creek at this time. County tax rolls reveal that there were thirty-three slaves in the county in 1864, near the end of the war, possibly brought there by slaveholders who moved to the area during the conflict. Though the Tonkawa Indians were friendly, early settlers were in constant danger of attacks by the Comanches and Kiowas who roamed the area. Samuel P. Newcomb, a pioneer schoolteacher, wrote sadly in 1865, "My pen is incapable of doing justice in recording the horrible depredations committed on this frontier by the barbaric, uncivilized savages." The last large Comanche and Kiowa raids on the Clear Fork took place in 1871, although a few settlers lost their lives to raiders as late as 1873. After Indian removal settlers were free to deal with what Newcomb called the county's "disagreeable peculiarities," which included "sand storms in spring, northers in winter, traveling grasshoppers in the fall, and long, severe, and parching droughts in the summer and all other seasons of the year." The agricultural census for 1870 reported twenty-four farms and ranches in Stephens County. Though settlers grew some corn and vegetables for their own consumption, the economy of the area at that time revolved almost entirely around ranching; while only about 600 bushels of corn were produced in the county that year, more than 43,000 cattle were reported. There were only 300 people living in the county in 1870, and as late as 1875 ranchers were still traveling 200 miles to Tarrant County for flour and other necessities. The county was organized in 1876, and Breckenridge became the seat of government More at
John Leffler, "STEPHENS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcs14), accessed January 24, 2016. Uploaded on June 15, 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 921 square miles (2,387 km2), of which, 895 square miles (2,317 km2) of it is land and 26 square miles (70 km2) of it (2.91%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

  • Young County (north)
  • Palo Pinto County (east)
  • Eastland County (south)
  • Shackelford County (west)
  • Throckmorton County (northwest)

Education



Compare More Colleges and Universities
Find the Right School

Find more schools to match to your needs.


County Resources
US Counties
Click Image to Enlarge