Hamilton County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hamilton County
U.S. 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.
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	9.835/sq mi (3.7973/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	31st

Hamilton County is a county located in the middle of Texas, on a high area called the Edwards Plateau. In 2020, about 8,222 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Hamilton.

The county was created in 1858. It is named after James Hamilton Jr.. He was a former governor of South Carolina. He helped the Republic of Texas with money.

History of Hamilton County
Geography of Hamilton County
- Main Roads
- Neighboring Counties
Population Information
Famous Person
Local Media
Towns and Communities
Education
Images for kids
See also

History of Hamilton County

Early Inhabitants and Settlers

Long ago, native groups lived in this area. Tribes like the Tawakoni, Tonkawa, Waco, and Comanche made their homes here.

In 1821, Mexico became independent from Spain. After this, settlers from the North came to Texas. They agreed to become Mexican citizens.

Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836. Then, it joined the United States in 1845. The first permanent white settlers arrived in 1854. Robert Carter and his family were among them.

The next year, several settlers formed a community. This community later became the town of Hamilton. Another settler, Asa Langford, started Langford's Cove. This place grew into today's Evant.

In 1858, Hamilton County was officially formed. It was made from parts of other counties. These included Comanche, Bosque, and Lampasas counties. The town of Hamilton was chosen as the county seat that same year.

Challenges and Growth

Even as more settlers arrived, Native American tribes were still present. In 1867, Comanche raiders attacked a school. The teacher, Ann Whitney, bravely helped her students escape. Sadly, she was killed during the attack.

In 1882, the town of Hico started an annual event. It was called the Hico Old Settlers' Reunion. This event celebrated the early settlers.

By 1900, cotton farming was very important. Almost 47,500 acres of land were used for growing cotton. New railways also helped the county grow. By 1907, a railway connected Hamilton with Stephenville. In 1911, another railway linked Hamilton to Gatesville and Comanche.

Interesting Stories

In the 1950s, a man named Ollie P. Roberts lived in Hico. He claimed to be the famous outlaw Billy The Kid. He said that Pat Garrett had helped Billy fake his own death. The Hico Chamber of Commerce even opened a museum about Billy The Kid because of this claim.

In 2009, Hamilton had an unusual event. It was "invaded" by the West Texas Rattlesnake. This was a fun, local event.

Geography of Hamilton County

The county covers a total area of 836 square miles. Almost all of this is land. Only a tiny part, about 0.5 square miles, is water.

Main Roads

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

Neighboring Counties

Hamilton County shares borders with these counties:

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

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
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 1850–2010 2010 2020

In 2000, there were 8,229 people living in Hamilton County. The population density was about 10 people per square mile. The population was spread out, with many different age groups. The median age was 43 years old.

Famous Person

Brushy Bill: This man claimed to be the famous outlaw, Billy the Kid. He died in Hico, Texas, and is buried in Hamilton County.

Local Media

Hamilton County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth TV market. This means people in the county can watch TV channels from those big cities. Since it's also near the Waco/Temple/Killeen area, channels from there also reach Hamilton County.