Hamilton County, Texas

Hamilton County
County
The Hamilton County Courthouse in Hamilton, Texas. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1980.
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°42′N98°07′W / 31.7°N 98.11°W / 31.7; -98.11
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1858
Named for	James Hamilton Jr.
Seat	Hamilton
Largest city	Hamilton
Area
• Total	836 sq mi (2,170 km2)
• Land	836 sq mi (2,170 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1 km2)  0.06%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,222
• Density	9.8/sq mi (3.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	31st
Website	www.hamiltoncountytx.org

Hamilton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,222. ^[1] The county seat is Hamilton. ^[2] The county was created in 1858. ^[3] It is named for James Hamilton Jr., ^[4] a former governor of South Carolina who gave financial aid to the Republic of Texas.

History

Indigenous peoples were the first inhabitants of the area. Later Native American tribes settled in the area, including Tawakoni, Tonkawa, Waco and Comanche. ^[5]

In 1821, shortly after Mexico claimed its independence from Spain, Anglo settlers from the North came to Texas, claiming Mexican citizenship.

Following Texas's independence from Mexico (1836) and its annexation by the United States (1845), Robert Carter and family became the first permanent white settlers in the county in 1854. The next year, settlers James Rice, Henry Standefer, Frederic Bookerman, William Beauchamp, and Asa Langford formed a community that later becomes the town of Hamilton. Asa Langford began Langford's Cove, which later grows into present-day Evant. In 1858 the Sixth Texas Legislature formed Hamilton County, named after James Hamilton Jr., from parts of Comanche, Bosque, and Lampasas counties. In 1858, Hamilton was named the county seat.

Despite growing white settlements in Texas, Indian tribal presences remained. In 1867, Comanche raiders attacked a school where Ann Whitney was the teacher. She helped students escape before finally succumbing to 18 Comanche arrows. ^{[6] [7]}

In 1882, the Hico community initiated the annual Hico Old Settlers' Reunion. ^[8]

By 1900, cotton cultivation had spread to almost 47,500 acres (192 km²) of county land. By 1907, the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway had connected Hamilton with Stephenville. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas connected Hamilton with Gatesville and Comanche in 1911.

In 1934, the Civil Works Administration's payroll included 747 Hamilton County men, who together earned about $2,000 per day.

In 1950, Ollie P. Roberts (also known as Ollie L. Roberts, "Brushy Bill" Roberts, or William Henry Roberts), a resident of Hico during the late 1940s, claimed to have been the outlaw Billy The Kid. The assertion is based on a legend that Patrick F. Garrett helped Billy fake his own death. Hico Chamber of Commerce responded by opening a Billy The Kid Museum. ^[9]

In 2009, Hamilton was invaded by the West Texas Rattlesnake.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 836 square miles (2,170 km²), of which 836 square miles (2,170 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (0.06%) is water. ^[10]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 281
• State Highway 6
• State Highway 22
• State Highway 36
• State Highway 220

Adjacent counties

• Erath County (north)
• Bosque County (northeast)
• Coryell County (southeast)
• Lampasas County (south)
• Mills County (southwest)
• Comanche County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	489		—
1870	733		49.9%
1880	6,365		768.3%
1890	6,313		−0.8%
1900	13,520		114.2%
1910	15,315		13.3%
1920	14,676		−4.2%
1930	13,523		−7.9%
1940	13,303		−1.6%
1950	10,660		−19.9%
1960	8,488		−20.4%
1970	7,198		−15.2%
1980	8,297		15.3%
1990	7,733		−6.8%
2000	8,229		6.4%
2010	8,517		3.5%
2020	8,222		−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1850–2010 [12] 2010 [13] 2020 [14]

Hamilton County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [13]	Pop 2020 [14]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	7,495	6,805	88.00%	82.77%
Black or African American alone (NH)	38	32	0.45%	0.39%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	31	37	0.36%	0.45%
Asian alone (NH)	31	36	0.36%	0.44%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	2	0.01%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	3	17	0.04%	0.21%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	55	248	0.65%	3.02%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	863	1,045	10.13%	12.71%
Total	8,517	8,222	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census ^[15] of 2000, there were 8,229 people, 3,374 households, and 2,324 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km²). There were 4,455 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.81% White, 0.15% (12) Black or African American, 0.44% (36) Native American, 0.15% (12) Asian, 0.05% (4) Pacific Islander, 4.36% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 7.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,374 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. As of the 2010 census, there were about 2.9 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county. ^[16]

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 23.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,150, and the median income for a family was $39,494. Males had a median income of $26,703 versus $20,192 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,800. About 10.60% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.20% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

• Brushy Bill, the man who claimed to be the infamous outlaw, Billy the Kid, died in Hico, Texas and is buried in Hamilton County.^{[ citation needed ]}

Media

Hamilton County is currently listed as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets include: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Because the county is located in Central Texas and neighbors the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area, all of the Waco/Temple/Killeen market stations also provide coverage for Hamilton County. They include: KCEN-TV, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV, KWKT-TV, KNCT (TV), and KAKW-DT.

Communities

Cities

• Cranfills Gap (mostly in Bosque County)
• Hamilton (county seat)
• Hico

Town

• Evant (partly in Coryell County)

Unincorporated communities

• Aleman
• Fairy
• Gentry's Mill
• Indian Gap
• Jonesboro (also in Coryell County)
• Olin
• Pottsville
• Shive
• Whiteway

Ghost Town

• McGirk

Gallery

• 
  Hamilton County historical marker
• 
  Gravestone of Brushy Bill Roberts, who claimed to be Billy the Kid
• 
  Billy the Kid statue in Hico
• 
  St. Olaf Kirke, just outside of Cranfills Gap

Politics

United States presidential election results for Hamilton County, Texas ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,616	83.11%	641	14.73%	94	2.16%
2016	3,060	84.53%	479	13.23%	81	2.24%
2012	2,918	82.15%	591	16.64%	43	1.21%
2008	2,876	76.12%	863	22.84%	39	1.03%
2004	2,856	76.57%	845	22.65%	29	0.78%
2000	2,447	72.48%	878	26.01%	51	1.51%
1996	1,493	49.26%	1,200	39.59%	338	11.15%
1992	1,232	37.80%	1,100	33.75%	927	28.44%
1988	1,718	55.67%	1,355	43.91%	13	0.42%
1984	2,118	65.01%	1,130	34.68%	10	0.31%
1980	1,683	51.52%	1,526	46.71%	58	1.78%
1976	1,176	36.88%	1,981	62.12%	32	1.00%
1972	1,931	73.79%	685	26.18%	1	0.04%
1968	1,266	44.67%	1,116	39.38%	452	15.95%
1964	1,006	32.92%	2,048	67.02%	2	0.07%
1960	1,592	58.17%	1,136	41.51%	9	0.33%
1956	1,709	60.11%	1,124	39.54%	10	0.35%
1952	2,130	61.77%	1,313	38.08%	5	0.15%
1948	478	20.44%	1,725	73.75%	136	5.81%
1944	344	13.77%	1,790	71.63%	365	14.61%
1940	655	22.42%	2,263	77.45%	4	0.14%
1936	202	9.47%	1,929	90.48%	1	0.05%
1932	164	6.21%	2,474	93.64%	4	0.15%
1928	927	48.38%	989	51.62%	0	0.00%
1924	202	8.68%	2,035	87.45%	90	3.87%
1920	422	25.24%	1,075	64.29%	175	10.47%
1916	201	13.76%	1,231	84.26%	29	1.98%
1912	67	5.42%	992	80.26%	177	14.32%

See also

• Texas portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hamilton County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hamilton County

References

1. "Hamilton County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 23, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  148.
5. Handbook of Texas, Hamilton County
6. Texas Historical Markers, Ann Whitney Archived March 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
7. Texas Escapes, Details of Comanche Attack
8. Hico Old Settlers' Reunion Archived March 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
9. Billy The Kid Legend Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
12. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hamilton County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hamilton County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, June 26, 2015, retrieved July 6, 2015
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

External links

• Official Hamilton County Site
• Hamilton County from the Handbook of Texas Online

31°42′N98°07′W / 31.70°N 98.11°W / 31.70; -98.11