Mills County, Texas
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Mills County is located in Central Texas, United States.<ref name=":6" /> It was created on March 15, 1887, from parts of four existing counties—Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas—and named after John T. Mills.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> The 2020 census reported a population of 4,456.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Goldthwaite.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> A long-time resident of the county quipped that residing here is the closest a person could get to living in Mayberry.<ref name=":30" />
History
[edit]The Clovis are the earliest known people to inhabit the territory before Mills County, though recent discoveries indicate that there were people living in the area as far back as 15,000 to 20,000 years.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> More recently, the Tonkawa occupied it, and there are numerous vestiges from their campsites that remain across the county, including cooking middens.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> Thought to be the first white man to explore pre-Mills County, Pedro Vial visited in 1786 and 1789 while traveling between San Antonio and Santa Fe.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite book</ref> Captain Henry S. Brown, believed to be the first white visitor, led a group to the area in 1825 to recover stolen stock.<ref name=":27" /> Mills County was once a part of two Mexican municipalities, Milam (originally Viesca Municipality) and Bastrop (originally Mina Municipality).<ref name=":29">Template:Cite journal</ref>
The Comanche regularly hunted in pre-Mills County since it was located along the southeastern edge of a large buffalo range.<ref name=":9" /> Native tribes moved through the area via what locals called "The Comanche Trail," which led to southern Texas.<ref name=":1" /> Starting in the 1840s, aggressive groups of Comanche and Apache pushed the Tonkawa out and raided the area in an effort to keep control of it as late as 1850, frequently stealing horses and scalping settlers who had started to move there in numbers after 1855.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":9" /> The earliest settlers arrived when there were no fences and land was free.<ref name=":6" />
Eventually the Apache moved west, leaving the Comanche in control.<ref name=":9" /> Earlier, in 1835, the General Council of Texas sent the first Texas Rangers to aid settlers.<ref name=":6" /> In 1854, the Texas Legislature appropriated land located on the Texas frontier, built a series of reservations, and moved the natives there starting in 1855, yet there continued to be native incursions into white settlements.<ref name=":9" /> By the mid 1870s, native violence began to diminish, yet leading up to the 1880s, Comanche and Kiowa continued to attack the area.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> Comanches raided Williams Ranch in the late 1870s, the last recorded assault in the area.<ref name=":6" />
The earliest communities in pre-Mills County were Center City and Hanna Valley, both organized in 1854.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":26">Template:Cite web</ref> One source identifies the David Morris, Sr., and Dick Jenkins families as the first pioneers in the area, who settled south of present-day Center City in 1852.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> Killed by the natives, Dick Jenkins is thought to be the first person buried in what was to become Mills County.<ref name=":6" />
Williams Ranch, established in 1855 in Brown County, was the first community that developed into a large, dynamic town after establishing trade with Mexico and serving as a major center for cattle business, capitalizing on its location near the Western Cattle Trail.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The town served as the "headquarters" of the West Texas frontier and was expected to serve as the county seat.<ref name=":9" /> "Old Fort Phantom Hill Road," the only military route that crossed Mills County, passed through Williams Ranch, connecting Austin and Fort Phantom Hill, located north of Abilene.<ref name=":1" /> In 1876, a telegraph line was built along the road, later to be known as the "Wire Road."<ref name=":1" /> The Florida Hotel (locally referred to as the Hutch Hotel) at Williams Ranch hosted a telegraph office operated by Hallie Hutchinson, the first woman telegraph operator in the U.S.<ref name=":6" /> The telegraph line connected Austin and Fort Concho.<ref name=":1" /> It was eventually replaced by a telephone line that was thought to be the longest in the United States.<ref name=":9" />
A federal military facility, Camp Colorado, was established in 1856 near the community of Ebony.<ref name=":9" /> Numerous wagon and stage coach trails crisscrossed the area during this time.<ref name=":1" /> "Fort Phantom Hill Trail," a military route that connected Fort Phantom Hill and Austin, passed through the territory.<ref name=":1" />
During the Civil War and following Reconstruction, an unprecedented number of people moved west looking for a better life, attracted by plentiful and inexpensive land.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":23">Template:Cite web</ref> Some of them settled in the area before Mills County formed and helped establish the early communities.<ref name=":1" /> Records demonstrate that 1876 marked the largest influx of immigrants into the area.<ref name=":6" />
Most of the early settlers lived according to Christian principles they brought with them that were reinforced by religious leaders in their new communities.<ref name=":6" /> That said, gun altercations to settle differences were common, and legal repercussions were usually immaterial.<ref name=":6" />
This isolated part of Texas, popularly referred to as a "no man's land," also attracted a variety of criminals, and minimal and often corrupt law enforcement allowed crime to surge.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> The first law officer was W.W. Queen, who took his position in 1883 before Mills County formed; there are no reliable records documenting the existence of law enforcement officers before then.<ref name=":6" /> Other sustained problems roiled the area, including native incursions, conflicts related to the cattle business, community feuds, agrarian discontent, and political unrest.<ref name=":2" /> This tumultuous environment was a crucible for violence.<ref name=":2" /> Only a few pioneers joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War because they were needed at home to fight their own "war" against the attacks of natives and outlaws.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite web</ref>
Originally organized to protect settlers, vigilante "committees" formed with the tacit approval of law officials that degenerated into thieving, vindictive, and murderous groups that terrorized the area, killing an estimated one hundred people during their reign in Central Texas.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /> Also known as "The Assembly," they were veiled in secrecy and bound by a strict code of silence, which heightened settlers' fear.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The earliest one started at Williams Ranch in 1869, called the "Honest Man's Club," that was supposed to rid the town of criminals.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Soon a feud erupted between it and another group, the "Trigger Mountain Mob," which was the salvo that launched the mob's rule.<ref name=":6" /> Groups operating in Mills County were sometimes collectively referred to as "The Mills County Mob."<ref name=":3" /> The mob's control of the area started to subside with the arrival of the railroad in 1887, which helped bring civilized norms.<ref name=":2" /> The Texas Rangers were eventually called to the territory in 1890 to quell the mob's depravities, though its activity continued into the early twentieth century.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />
By 1885, the pre-Mills area had reached a population of 6,493 and had become civilized enough to justify forming a new county.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":23" /> At the time, the only significant communities were Center City, Mullin, Star, and Williams Ranch.<ref name=":6" /> Both Goldthwaite and Mullin were only tent villages.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":23" />
Known as "The Father of Mills County," district representative and Williams Ranch resident Phil H. Clements (1854–1932) lobbied in Austin for a new county in 1887, though planning for the county had started in 1885.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":23" /> There was opposition to creating the new county—Brown County, in particular, fought against it.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":23" />
In an action of the twentieth Texas Legislature, Governor L.S. "Sul" Ross approved H.S.S.B. No. 85 on March 15, 1887, which carved Mills County out of parts of Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas counties—all of which were created much earlier in the mid-to-late 1850s.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> It was named after John T. Mills, honoring his service as a Republic of Texas Supreme Court justice.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The bill provided directions for conducting an election to determine government leaders and the location of the county seat.<ref name=":0" />
Brown County Commissioners Court met on July 25, 1887, with Brown County Judge R.P. Conner presiding, to began organizing the government of Mills County.<ref name=":29" /> The court created five justices precincts, four commissioners precincts, and assigned ten residents to carry out the county's first election of its officials.<ref name=":29" /> The ten voting places and election administrators were: no. 1. Mullin, M.C. Kirkpatrick; no. 2. Jon Ward's house, A.N. Perkins; no. 3. Center City, F.M. Ragsdale; no. 4. Parson Priddy's house, A.P. Kelly; no. 5. Goldthwaite, John James; no. 6. Pleasant Grove School house on Sims Creek, Phil McCormick; no. 7. Big Valley, M.V. Nowell; no. 8. Rock Springs, J.E. McGowan; no. 9. Regency, Sam Jones; and no. 10. Buffalo School house, H.G. Ratliff.<ref name=":29" /> The winners of the election met with Judge Conner on Monday, September 12, 1887, in Goldthwaite, to take oaths and began their duties.<ref name=":29" /> September 12, 1887, is recognized as the date the county was organized.<ref name=":0" /> The first elected officials of county were: J.B. Head, county judge; G.H. Dalton, commissioner, precinct no. 1; D.S. Kelly, Commissioner, precinct no. 3; S.M. Moore, commissioner, precinct no. 4; George W. Cunningham, sheriff; and Phil H. Clements, county clerk.<ref name=":29" /> A special election held on October 10, 1889, determined Goldthwaite as the county seat, beating Mullin and Pegtown.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> The first legal actions at the Mills County clerk's office was to issue a marriage license and to file a divorce suit, and both transactions were instigated by Black couples.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
An earlier piece of legislation, House Bill No. 421, would have created a county with a similar boundary as Mills called "Key," but the bill was defeated on February 21, 1881.<ref name=":0" /> An early General Land Office map dated March 10, 1879, references Mills County and names a place in the center of the county, "Winona."<ref name=":0" />
Geography
[edit]Located in West Central Texas near the center of the state, Mills County incorporates portions of the Limestone Cut Plain and Western Cross Timber subregions of the Cross Plains ecoregion.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name=":39">Template:Cite book</ref> According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Elevation varies from 1,200 to 1,750 feet.<ref name=":6" />
The Colorado River marks the county's distinctive southwestern border and creates three fertile farming valleys: Big Valley, Jones Valley, and Hanna Valley.<ref name=":6" /> The Pecan Bayou enters the western part of the county from Brown County then flows east and south towards the Colorado River; Blanket and Brown creeks unite into the Pecan Bayou along the way.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9" /> From west to east, the following streams drain into the Colorado River: Comanche Creek, Buffalo Creek, Rough Creek, King Creek, Pecan Bayou, Prescott Creek, Bull Creek, Nabors Creek, and Shaw Creek.<ref name=":9" /> North and South Bennett Creeks and Simms Creek, all in the eastern part of the county, drain into the Lampasas River.<ref name=":9" /> The northern parts of the county have Mountain Creek, Cowhouse Creek, and Washboard Creek that eventually drain into the Brazos River.<ref name=":9" />
The county's topography features low, broken hills.<ref name=":39" /> The Cowhouse Mountains, which are part of an extensive range of hills located in the Lampasas Cut Plain, cross the county from the southeast to the northwest.<ref name=":11" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> One part of the Cowhouse range enters the county north of Star and leaves the county north of Priddy; another part of Cowhouse enters the county near Moline before taking a northwesterly exit into Comanche County.<ref name=":9" /> San Saba Peak, at a height of 1,712 feet, is a prominent mountain in the county and was named in 1732 by Don Juan Antonio Bustillo y Cevallos, Spanish Governor of Texas.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":26" />
Central Texas, which includes Mills County, contains some of the oldest rocks in the state.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The county has a variety of soils, including gray loams, sandy dark and stone clay, and alluvia in the bottom lands, and black wax on the prairies.<ref name=":6" /> Very shallow to deep, loamy, and clayey soils and their sub-varieties make up the bulk of the county.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite book</ref> Plentiful limestone, sand, and gravel are used for road construction.<ref name=":8" />
Native timbers include live oak (entire county), post oak (entire county), Spanish oak (Grand Prairie Region), eastern cottonwood (along streams), shinnery oak (Cowhouse Mountains Region), mesquite (concentrated in western county), pecan (along streams), and cedar.<ref name=":9" /> Cactus varieties typically grow in the Cross Timbers Region.<ref name=":9" /> Dominant trees and shrubs include ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei J. Bucholz), escarpment live oak (Quercus fusiformis Small), and the deciduous shrub, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr).<ref name=":18">Template:Cite journal</ref> A member of the Cypress family, Ashe juniper is one of six species of the Juniperus genus that grow in Texas, but it is the only one that grows in the Hill Country, including Mills County, where it is concentrated in the southern region.<ref name=":19">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the most plentiful native tree growing in the county and has existed in the area for thousands of years.<ref name=":19" /> Both Ashe juniper and honey mesquite are considered to be invasive trees in the area.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The county flower is the Texas Plume Standing Cypress.<ref name=":6" />
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Brown County (northwest)
- Comanche County (north)
- Hamilton County (northeast)
- Lampasas County (southeast)
- San Saba County (southwest)
Climate
[edit]Mills County typically offers hot summers and cool winters.<ref name=":8" /> Rainfall tends to be spread throughout the year, and snowfall is infrequent.<ref name=":8" /> The county receives an average of 25-26 inches of rain a year based on historical records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Records show a high historical yearly rainfall of 26.75 inches.<ref name=":30">Template:Cite web</ref> Averaging fourteen miles per hour, prevailing winds come from the south-southeast.<ref name=":8" /> The county's growing season last 230 days.<ref name=":27">Template:Cite book</ref> The Köppen Climate Classification for Goldthwaite, the county seat, is "humid subtropical" (Cfa).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Highest monthly precipitation was 13.71 inches, recorded in October 2018.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref>
One long-time county resident recalls the acute droughts of 2011 and the seven-year drought that occurred in the 1950s.<ref name=":32">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Communities
[edit]- Bethel - one of a trio of towns located near each other that also included North Bennett and Liveoak<ref name=":1" />
- Big Valley - located near the Colorado River in the southwestern part of the county; once in Lampasas County; settled as early as 1859; divided into Upper Big Valley and Lower Big Valley; since the early 1870s, identified as the "backbone" of Mills County agricultural production;<ref name=":6" /> upper and lower valley schools consolidated about 1921, when a new school building was erected; post office discontinued in the early 1900s; known as the "Gateway to San Saba County"; citizens left the lower valley in the early 1940s when the land became a one-thousand acre pecan orchard owned by the Leonard Brothers<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" />
- Bull's Creek - an early settlement started by James (Jim) Bull near the eponymous creek south of Goldthwaite around 1859; its school was started in 1899 before consolidating with Fairview to form Cedar Knob in 1917; it also had a cemetery<ref name=":1" />
- Caradan - originally known as "Lookout";<ref name=":6" /> established in 1898 and named after Sam Caraway and Dan Bush, both early settlers; Lookout School built around 1878;<ref name=":6" /> Live Oak School District recognized in 1888;<ref name=":6" /> Midway School was the result of the consolidation of North Bennett and Gray in 1913, consolidated with Goldthwaite in 1947<ref name=":1" />
- Cedar Knob - early settlers were W.N. Sullivan and A.C. Sullivan, sheep farmers; schoolhouse erected that also served as church and prompted renaming the community "Fairview"; school consolidated with Bull's Creek and called "Cedar Knob" before finally consolidating with Goldthwaite<ref name=":6" />
- Center City - located ten miles east of Goldthwaite and first known as Hughes Store. It was named for an old oak tree, "center oak," that an 1870s survey identified as the center of Texas.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> The first Justice Court proceedings, presided over by Judge J.P. Grundy, were carried out between 1887 and 1890 under the tree before Mills County formed.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> The tree also furnished shade for the first school classes.<ref name=":6" /> In the early 1870s, many expected Center City to be named county seat as a logical choice based on its history as a hub for freight and stage line.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> A town square plan was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Hughes that accommodated a courthouse, and eventually a list of businesses sprung up, including several saloons, a drug store, two blacksmith shops, a hotel, and several other stores.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> It was a centrally located resting point for postal carriers.<ref name=":6" /> Its first church was organized in 1875 and was used for school and lodge.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> During its peak, the population is estimated to have reach 1,000 citizens.<ref name=":6" /> Likewise, residents anticipated the railroad to pass through the town, but it did not.<ref name=":1" />
- Chappell Hill - an influx of settlers effected it being created out of the North Brown Community; an early member of the community was Mrs. B.T. Boydson, who moved there in 1893; mountainous part of the county; only schoolhouse constructed 1898–1899;<ref name=":6" />
- Chesser Valley - was located about six miles from Williams Ranch; named after John Dan Chesser; known for hosting camp meetings/revivals that attracted large groups that camped in nearby Live Oak groves; once had the largest school in Brown County with fifty students<ref name=":6" />
- Duren - located six miles northeast of Mullin; named after Philip David Duren, who first settled in Williams Ranch in 1876 but bought land where Duren would be located; in the 1870s through late 1880s, land owners in Duren would pay property taxes in three counties: Comanche, Brown and Mills; the school district was known as Pompey Mountain School District No. 6; two successive buildings served as the school (Duren School) and church (Pompey Mountain), and in 1961 a new church building opened.<ref name=":1" />
- Ebony - Originally in Brown County and located in the far western part of Mills County with the Colorado River as its southern border, Ebony's earliest settler was James Ransom Wilmeth, Sr.; settlers came in numbers starting in the mid-1870s; called "Buffalo Valley" until the post office arrived between 1891 and 1894, with the name "Ebony" supplied by the postal service (earlier, mail came from Regency);<ref name=":6" /> a series of schools starting with one located near Buffalo Creek and the Reeves School; those schools consolidated in 1912 and culminated with the construction of a new school that was built across from the cemetery; the school consolidated with Mullin in 1947 (or 1949);<ref name=":6" /> the community started declining in the late 1930s after it was claimed by Camp Bowie in Brownwood and used as a military training area.<ref name=":1" />
- Goldthwaite
- Hanna Valley - located near the Colorado River and established by David Hanna in 1854; first permanent settlement; Hanna assisted in starting Brown County; his daughter is thought to be the first white child born in would later become Mills County; it also hosted the first post office in the area in 1875.<ref name=":6" />
- Hogg - organized by J.L. Spurlin and planned to be located nine miles from Center City, two miles from Lometa, and twelve miles from Goldthwaite<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Jones Valley/Ratler - located west of Goldthwaite near the Colorado River; started growing around the 1900;<ref name=":1" /> had a school which consolidated with Goldthwaite;<ref name=":6" /> once the home of Willis Mill and associated vineyard.<ref name=":6" />
- Kelly - located near Pleasant Grove and eight miles southeast of Goldthwaite, Kelly was in Lampasas County before Mills County formed.<ref name=":1" /> Its only community building was a school, named after Dan Kelly and his son, Neal, that also served as a church known as "Sims Creek Baptist"; it burned in 1909 and was rebuilt the same year; later it was burned and rebuilt; school consolidated with Goldthwaite in the early 1940s.<ref name=":1" /> The community was also called "Polecat."<ref name=":1" />
- Lake Merritt - located about seven miles north of Goldthwaite with about 190 square acres of land;<ref name=":6" /> construction of the lake began in 1915 to supply water to the Santa Fe Railroad;<ref name=":6" /> the Lake Merritt School was built in 1919 and consolidated with North Brown and Cryer schools; in 1933 the school consolidated with Trigger Mountain school to establish the New Lake Merritt School<ref name=":1" />
- Liveoak - one of a trio of towns located near each other that also included North Bennett and Bethel; its school consolidated with Goldthwaite in 1940<ref name=":1" />
- Miller Grove - located about six miles southwest of Goldthwaite [or four and one-half miles northwest of Goldthwaite?], the community once had an eponymously named school, first name the "Hunt School."<ref name=":1" />
- Mount Olive - located about ten miles northeast of Goldthwaite;<ref name=":6" /> began developing around 1890 and named after John Neal, who was the first permanent settler in 1887;<ref name=":6" /> church building used as a school;<ref name=":6" /> its school consolidated with Goldthwaite in 1949.<ref name=":1" />
- Mullin
- Nabors Creek - settled c. 1870;<ref name=":6" /> named after the sheepherder who settled it when it was in Lampasas County; bordered to the south and west by the Colorado River; first schoolhouse built around 1900; the school consolidated with Golthwaite in 1947<ref name=":1" />
- North Bennett - one of a trio of towns located near each other that also included Bethel and Liveoak; students from North Bennett attended Midway, which consolidated with Goldthwaite in 1947<ref name=":1" />
- Payne Gap - was located southeast of Goldthwaite; Barzilla Payne arrived in 1856 and established it after signing for pre-empted land in 1857;<ref name=":0" /> Payne was scalped by the Comanches in 1863.<ref name=":1" />
- Pleasant Grove - established around 1862 based on the arrival of its earliest known settler, Joe Curtis.<ref name=":1" /> The community had a school which was enlarged to three rooms in 1933–1934; it closed in 1946;<ref name=":6" /> a spring-fed pool called "Blue Hole" was a major center of pioneer life in the area.<ref name=":1" />
- Priddy
- Regency
- Ridge - located about fifteen miles west of Goldthwaite and home to the "hanging tree," where a horse thief (Sebe Arnold) was hung; originally created by Mills County Commissioners court in 1888 as "Cold Springs"; began known as Ridge after the post office was established sometime between 1917 and 1920; a succession of four schoolhouses existed there, the final one built in 1931; much of the land was taken by Camp Bowie in Brownwood during WWII<ref name=":1" />
- Rock Springs - located five miles west of Goldthwaite and north of Hanna Valley Road, where five springs provided water; the first to settle there was John Tisdale in 1874; the last school building was built in 1894, and the school consolidated with Goldthwaite in 1946<ref name=":1" />
- Rye Valley - settled around 1881in an area bound to the south and southeast close to a horseshoe bend of the Colorado River; known for its fertile land and for the large rye grass the settlers found there; had a school, which burned once and moved several times in its history before locating centrally in 1919<ref name=":1" />
- Scallorn - originally called Antelope Gap and located in southern Mills County, originally in Lampasas County; had a schoolhouse, which burned in 1905 and rebuilt; school district was the Minor School District, which merged with Goldthwaite in 1937 before combining with Lometa in 1943; Antelope Gap named Scallorn after the post office arrived and name after "Gid" Scallorn, foreman of the C-Ranch, once the largest ranch in Mills County<ref name=":1" />
- South Bennett - established around 1870 and located about six miles southeast of Goldthwaite; named after South Bennett Creek; its school consolidated with Goldthwaite in the late 1930s; a jaguar was killed in 1903 near the community by Henry Morris, the only one killed in Mills County<ref name=":1" />
- Star
- Tater Hill
- Trigger Mountain Community - located about five miles north of Goldthwaite near Trigger Mountain, which was named after Welcome Chandler's horse, "Trigger." Following an Indian attack, the horse was found on top of the mountain.<ref name=":0" /> Chandler would later become a founder of Brownwood.<ref name=":0" /> The community had a church and school.<ref name=":0" />
- Washboard - named after the eponymous formation of Washboard Creek in northern Mills County, about three miles west of Indian Gap, Hamilton County; the first settlers arrived in the 1860s; in the mid-1930s, the school consolidated with Priddy<ref name=":1" />
- Williams Ranch
Demographics
[edit]| Population | ||
| Population Estimates, July 1, 2021, (V2021) | 4,480* | * |
| Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2021) | 4,456 | * |
| Population, percent change - April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2021, (V2021) | 0.5%* | * |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2020 | 4,456 | |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2010 | 4,936 | |
| Age and Sex | ||
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 4.1% | * |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 21.0% | * |
| Persons 65 years and over, percent | 27.6% | * |
| Female persons, percent | 48.8% | * |
| Race and Hispanic Origin | ||
| White alone, percent | 94.9% | * |
| Black or African American alone, percent | 1.5% | *a |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent | 1.2% | *a |
| Asian alone, percent | 0.6% | *a |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent | 0.1% | *a |
| Two or More Races, percent | 1.7% | * |
| Hispanic or Latino, percent | 19.5% | *b |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent | 77.2% | * |
| Population Characteristics | ||
| Veterans, 2016-2020 | 345 | |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020 | 6.9% | |
| Housing | ||
| Housing units, July 1, 2021, (V2021) | 2,532 | |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020 | 88.2% | |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020 | $141,700.00 | |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020 | $908.00 | |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020 | $438.00 | |
| Median gross rent, 2016-2020 | $649.00 | |
| Building permits, 2021 | NA | |
| Families and Living Arrangements | ||
| Households, 2016-2020 | 1,752 | |
| Persons per household, 2016-2020 | 2.69 | |
| Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020 | 89.4% | |
| Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020 | 15.6% | |
| Computer and Internet Use | ||
| Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020 | 85.3% | |
| Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020 | 76.5% | |
| Education | ||
| High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020 | 82.8% | |
| Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020 | 21.1% | |
| Health | ||
| With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020 | 11.3% | |
| Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent | 26.3% | |
| Economy | ||
| In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 52.3% | |
| In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 48.2% | |
| Total accommodation and food services sales, 2017 ($1,000) | 3,639 | |
| Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000) | 9,035 | |
| Total transportation and warehousing receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000) | 2,320 | |
| Total retail sales, 2017 ($1,000) | 62,223 | |
| Total retail sales per capita, 2017 | $12,639.00 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 17.4 | |
| Income and Poverty | ||
| Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020 | $50,198.00 | |
| Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020 | $27,619.00 | |
| Persons in poverty, percent | 14.4% | |
| Business | ||
| Total employer establishments, 2020 | 110 | |
| Total employment, 2020 | 942 | |
| Total annual payroll, 2020 ($1,000) | 35,790 | |
| Total employment, percent change, 2019-2020 | 13.1% | |
| Total nonemployer establishments, 2019 | 549 | |
| All employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 91 | |
| Geography | ||
| Population per square mile, 2020 | 6.0 | |
| Population per square mile, 2010 | 6.6 | |
| Land area in square miles, 2020 | 748.23 | |
| Land area in square miles, 2010 | 748.26 | |
| * = Estimates are not comparable to other geographic levels due to methodology differences that may exist between different data sources. | ||
| a = Includes persons reporting only one race | ||
| b = Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories |
A 2022 report showed that home values in Mills County increased at a record rate compared to other counties in the state, rising by 98.7% since November 2017. An average home ballooned from $179,000 to over $355,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,367 | 4,024 | 3,498 | 84.78% | 81.52% | 78.50% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 61 | 26 | 25 | 1.18% | 0.53% | 0.56% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 13 | 15 | 10 | 0.25% | 0.30% | 0.22% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0.08% | 0.20% | 0.09% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other Race alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.13% |
| Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) | 35 | 42 | 185 | 0.68% | 0.85% | 4.15% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 671 | 818 | 728 | 13.03% | 16.57% | 16.34% |
| Total | 5,151 | 4,936 | 4,456 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Religion
[edit]Early settlers in the mid-1850s represented a range of faiths, led in numbers by the Methodists.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> During the county's formation days, denominations were less important.<ref name=":0" /> Early sermons were delivered by circuit riders, and a Methodist rider delivered the first religious service at the home of Charles Mullin in 1857.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":11" /> Later brush arbor revivals became popular before camp meetings started attracting congregants.<ref name=":1" />
A 1972 study canvassing citizens of Star and Center City revealed that a majority of citizens had Protestant fundamentalist spiritual beliefs, with over 80% affiliated with Baptist, Methodist, or Church of Christ denominations.<ref name=":16" />
The Mills County Historical Commission details fifty-seven cemeteries in Mills County.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Early settlers buried their dead near their homes in post oak slabs fashioned into coffins by the local carpenter.<ref name=":6" />
| Name | Denomination | Town | Established | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center City Baptist Church | Baptish | Center City | |||
| Center City Methodist Church | Methodist | Center City | |||
| Methodist Church | Methodist | Ebony | Located near Regency | ||
| Baptist Church | Baptist | Ebony | |||
| Church of Christ | Church of Christ | Ebony | |||
| Assembly of God | Assembly of God | Goldthwaite | |||
| First Baptist Church | Baptish | Goldthwaite | |||
| First United Methodist Church | Methodist | Goldthwaite | |||
| St. Peters Catholic Church | Catholic | Goldthwaite | |||
| Jones Valley Baptist Church | Baptish | Jones Valley | |||
| Mount Olive Baptist Church | Baptist | July 28, 1899 | |||
| Mullin Church of Christ | Church of Christ | Mulliin | |||
| First Baptist Church | Baptist | Mullin | |||
| First United Methodist Church | Methodist | Mullin | |||
| Pompey Mountain Congregational Methodist Church | Methodist | Pompey Mountain | |||
| Pompey Mountain Missionary Baptist Church | Baptist | Pompey Mountain | |||
| Priddy Baptist Church | Baptist | Priddy | |||
| Zion Lutheran Church | Lutheran | Priddy | |||
| Regency Primitive Baptist Church | Baptist | Regency | |||
| Church of Christ | Church of Christ | Star | |||
| Star Baptist Church | Baptist | Star | |||
| Star United Methodist Church | Methodist | Star | |||
| Trigger Mountain Church | Baptist | Trigger Mountain |
Economy
[edit]| 2020 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $201.8 M<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Commodity Totals - Sales, Measured in $ | $30,899,000<ref name=":15">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Crop Totals - Sales, Measured in $ | $2,439,000<ref name=":15" /> |
| Animal Totals, Incl Products - Sales, Measured in $ | $28,459,000<ref name=":15" /> |
| 2021 Unemployment Rate | 4.4%<ref name=":14" /> |
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021 state rank | 2019 % change | 2020 % change | 2021 % change | 2021 % state rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $174,264,000 | $190,467,000 | $196,656,000 | $191,994,000 | 228 | 9.3% | 3.2% | -2.4% | 176 |
The county has historically sustained its economy with farming and ranching operations of varying sizes, with small businesses and recreational hunting providing additional income.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":16">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1890, agriculture had established an economic base in the county.<ref name=":27" /> Agritourism, including recreational hunting and fishing, continues to supplement the economy.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The county's deer population started growing after screwworm eradication programs were developed.<ref name=":32" />
Mineral resources in the county are minimal: a small vein of coal was discovered near Ebony around 1950, and Weston No. 1 Well, located in the Rock Springs Community, produced very little gas and oil.<ref name=":6" /> Much later, in 1982, oil made another appearance, yielding 28,122 barrels, yet by 1990, oil production ceased.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Farming and ranching
[edit]Statistics
[edit]| Commodity | 2017 Estimated Dollars |
|---|---|
| Beef | 19,187,200 |
| Milk | 6,000,000 |
| Sheep | 5,859,600 |
| Hay | 5,000,000 |
| Hunting | 4,925,000 |
| Goats | 2,874,000 |
Records show that the county has featured a large population of sheep and goats.<ref name=":18" /> Sheep reached a peak of 133,737 head in 1940, and goats reached a peak of 118,009 in 1964. Cattle fluctuated from a low of 16,279 head in 1940 to a high of 48,901 in 1978.<ref name=":18" /> Total animal units in the county was 41,745 in 1935 before reaching a peak of 69,429 AU in 1969.<ref name=":18" /> The 2012 agricultural census reported 34,294 sheep, 23,325 goats, and 32,663 head of cattle, with 42,568 AU.<ref name=":18" /> Average ranch size was 109 hectares in 1935 before reaching a peak size of 256 hectares in 1969.<ref name=":18" /> The 2012 agricultural census reported a decrease to an average size of 219 hectares.<ref name=":18" />
By 1890, there were 680 farms and ranches in the county, consisting of 142,299 acres, with 25,000 head of cattle and 23,000 sheep.<ref name=":7" />
By 1930, the county produced 32,000 acres of cotton, 21,300 head of cattle, 68,000 goats (many raised for mohair), 78,000 sheep, and 67,000 chickens.<ref name=":7" />
In 1979, Mills County ranked among the top ten Texas counties in the mohair industry: eighth in number of Angora goats (38,000 head) and seventh in pounds of mohair produced (386,000 pounds).<ref name=":34" /> Total county income in 1979 from both mohair and wool reached more than $65.9 million.<ref name=":34">Template:Cite web</ref>
General history
[edit]Farming and ranching in the county have historically had about equal importance, and most agricultural operations had both.<ref name=":39" /> The natural resources of pre-Mills county in Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas counties offered good support for early farming and ranching, yet most of the early settlers made their living by hunting.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" /> Game provided food and pelts were often sent to Houston to sell.<ref name=":6" /> By the early 1890s, large game such as bear, panther, and jaguar had been evacuated from the county, leaving hunters smaller game such as bobcat, fox, wolf, coon, and possums.<ref name=":6" /> Game was the only substantive food for early settlers; deer, however, served various needs: in many households, they were the main meat and they sold antler and skins.<ref name=":6" />
One report from 1957 identifies that only nineteen percent of the land can be tilled, placing an emphasis on grazing land.<ref name=":9" />
The cattle industry traces it beginnings to the first herd of long-horn cattle that arrived in Mills County in 1865, brought by J.H. Flower, which was followed shortly after by a huge herd purchased by John Williams.<ref name=":1" /> The yearling sale at Williams Ranch attracted buyers from Kansas or the Indian Territory.<ref name=":6" /> Cattle roamed the open range before settlers started fencing their land in the mid-1860s.<ref name=":1" /> Barbed wire arrived in 1875 and by 1879 was widely available in Texas.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Land owners often fenced in areas they did not own that sometimes included public water sources for livestock, which led to a fence-cutting epidemic in the mid-1880s, leading to legislation forbidding it.<ref name=":6" /> A severe drought in 1886 and 1887 led to cattle and horse deaths; whole herds of cattle left the country looking for water, and their owners sometime spent days hunting for them.<ref name=":6" /> Some ranchers drove the herds to other parts of Texas to find water.<ref name=":6" />
The cattle industry, from the beginning, has exhibited wild swings in prices in response to many factors, yet it remains a mainstay industry in Mills County.<ref name=":1" /> Early cattle trade in Mills County relied on the Fort Worth Stockyards for selling, but the local auction ring effected higher prices through bidding, rather than waiting to receive an offer from a buyer who came to visit a rancher's stock.<ref name=":1" /> Robert Briley started the first local auction that changed hands many times to become the Mills County Livestock Commission of Goldthwaite.<ref name=":1" /> Later to be called the Mills County Commission Company, at one time it was the largest sheep and goat sale in the world.<ref name=":6" /> An industry related to livestock buying and selling was the trucking business, which started before local auctions.<ref name=":1" /> Early trucking, which only required a license and a railroad permit, was pioneered by Everett Holland and Lindsay Kettle from Mullin and Slim Hurst from Star.<ref name=":1" />
Most of the early pioneers brought sheep when they arrived.<ref name=":1" /> Owners clipped wool by hand and sent the fiber by wagon train to be sold in Houston.<ref name=":1" /> The first local to have a sizable sheep herd was Eli Fairman, known as "Sheepman" Fairman.<ref name=":1" /> In May 1892, more than 200,000 pounds of wool shorn from Mills County sheep sold for eighteen cents a pound to a buyer in Boston and shipped by train from Goldthwaite.<ref name=":28">Template:Cite web</ref> The first reported rail movement of mohair occurred on April 11, 1903, when a shipment of hair produced on the Elberta Ranch, located on South Bennett Creek, was sent to a processing mill in Lowell, Massachusetts.<ref name=":28" /> By 1910, there were 4,239 head of Angora goats in the county.<ref name=":28" /> Blackwell Wool and Mohair served as the main agent for warehousing and selling the fibers for most of the twentieth century.<ref name=":28" /> Sheep and goats are credited with improving the economy of Mills County more than cattle, largely due to stable prices and the county having optimal conditions for raising them.<ref name=":1" /> For years, Mills County ranked second in the state for wool and mohair production.<ref name=":1" /> In 1944, Texas Railroad Commissioner Ernest O. Thompson announced that Texas lead all states in wool and mohair production.<ref name=":28" /> The mohair industry started declining around 1970 with the introduction of polyester.<ref name=":28" /> In 1976, Mills County also ranked highest in the state for lamb feeding operations.<ref name=":1" /> More recently, meat goat production has eclipsed wool and mohair.<ref name=":32" /> Predator control continues to a challenge for sheep and goat populations in the county.<ref name=":32" />
The first farmers in pre-Mills county used three basic tools: a walking turning plow, a walking planter, and a walking cultivator.<ref name=":6" /> Grain has always been a prevalent crop.<ref name=":39" />
By 1864, settlers started growing and harvesting cotton—the first bale of cotton was picked by W.F. Brown and ginned in Comanche.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> By 1910, cotton acreage had ballooned to 46,000; it was the main crop from 1887 through 1917.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> In 1899, The Goldthwaite Eagle published that "some of the farmers [in Pleasant Grove] have plowed up their wheat and planted cotton, calculating on 4 cents per pound ... we fear as long as cotton is the principle crop at the above prices our country will remain in an embarrassed condition financially."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> As the land was turned over to cotton, the cattle business shifted into western Texas.<ref name=":6" /> Families worked together during cotton picking time to collect bales that would be taken to town to sell.<ref name=":1" /> World War I disrupted the economy, leading to a decline in cotton production.<ref name=":6" /> The war also underscored the importance of crop diversification in Mills County.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> By 1930, there were 32,000 acres of county land planted in cotton.<ref name=":27" /> Cotton acreage reached a low of 2,078 in 1959, exacerbated by the boll weevil.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":7" />
In 1912, the Santa Fe Railroad published a pamphlet, Practical Information for the Farmers of Central West Texas, which provided crop and livestock recommendations that the company claimed would thrive in the county.<ref name=":24" /> The publication also espoused the importance of agricultural diversification.<ref name=":24" />
By around 1912, most families owned a small amount of stock and farmed small grain as a necessity.<ref name=":6" /> At about the same time, steam threshers hit the market in Mills County.<ref name=":6" /> Before then, farmers relied on horse-powered threshers.<ref name=":6" /> Threshing, which typically started in June and ran for about four weeks, was typically part of a community effort that included neighbors who hauled the grain to the barn and women that helped cook meals.<ref name=":1" /> A crew consisted of an engine man, fireman, separator man, sack holders, pitchers, and grain and water wagon drivers.<ref name=":6" /> Steam threshing crews could be "dependent" or "independent," which classified whether the wife of the crop's owner supplied meals.<ref name=":6" /> Most of the later crews were "independent," which meant they had their own cook shack.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> During this time, around ten threshing crews worked the summer months in Mills County.<ref name=":6" /> D.O. Simpson ran a threshing operation continuously from 1912 to 1938.<ref name=":39" /> His first machine was a J.I. Case rig that had a steam tractor and a separator.<ref name=":39" /> Bud Harper managed a threshing crew near Star.<ref name=":39" /> Combines appeared suddenly in Mills County, pushing out not only threshing machines but also reapers by 1939.<ref name=":6" /> The Goldthwaite Eagle published the first image of a tractor in the summer of 1915, a Case Model 10–20.<ref name=":24" />
The 1920s brought prosperity to Mills County, yet booming oil business opportunities outside of Mills County caused many citizens to move for better pay.<ref name=":1" /> The Great Depression devastated the county, just as it did the rest of the country.<ref name=":1" /> It brought a general decline in Mills County farming (and overall population) and effected further agricultural diversification, leading not only to an upswing in sheep, goat, and chicken production but also to developing additional sources such as pecans, fruit, and dairy.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":27" /> In 1925, J.L. Corts established the first dairy about three miles southwest Goldthwaite called the "Regular Dairy Farm".<ref name=":6" /> The first Mills County cheese factory opened in Goldthwaite in 1928.<ref name=":6" /> Also around this time, cold storage developed as both a stand-alone industry and also became a means to enhance other industries such as poultry.<ref name=":6" /> Turkey and egg production were once leading businesses in the county.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> Homer McCasland once had about 30,000 layers producing eggs that were distributed through a Dallas facility.<ref name=":31">Template:Cite book</ref> Hogs were once raised county-wide for meat.<ref name=":9" />
Depression relief programs provided by the U.S. Government were headquartered in the courthouse with E.B. Gilliam as administrator, yet Mills County's needs were not as severe as other counties in Central Texas.<ref name=":6" /> One form of recovery that helped Mills County was the Agriculture Adjustment Act.<ref name=":1" />
By 1940, productive cropland dropped from 89,343 acres reported in 1930 to 78,372 acres as more land was used for mohair goats and sheep.<ref name=":27" /> The total number of farms dropped nine percent to 1,364.<ref name=":27" />
The Soil Bank Program under the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s paid farmers to transform under-producing farmland to pastureland, and most of the land never returned to production.<ref name=":24" /> By 1959, cropland dropped to 32,000 acres, and the total number of farms dropped to 767, with a concomitant drop in population.<ref name=":27" />
Starting in the 1970s and early 1980s, the county gained a number of manufacturing companies.<ref name=":7" /> By 1982, there were eight manufacturers employing one-hundred people, which brought a slight population increase.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":27" />
Mills County is a leader in Texas pecan production.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pecans are credited as one of the most lucrative crops in the early days of Mills County, fetching about four cents per pound.<ref name=":6" /> In the early days, pecan crops were typically sold at markets in Houston.<ref name=":6" /> In 1905, one Mills County citizen reported earnings of $49.10 from a single tree.<ref name=":6" /> By 1929, pecan production had developed into a solid industry mostly in the southern part of the county, which became a recognized center for development of new varieties.<ref name=":6" /> 174,637 bushels of improved pecans were harvested in 1950, and in 1954 statistics reported 58,092 pecan trees and 385,792 pounds of pecans.<ref name=":6" /> Pecan harvesting as a business was accelerated by mechanization in the late 1950s, led by the invention of the pole or boom shaker by O.L. Sides and his sons, W.L. and C.N. Sides, under the auspices of their company, Metal Masters Machine, Inc.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":31" /> In 1958, the Sides brothers, working with Ted Burnham, developed the first drum pecan harvester, later known as the Lockwood Harvester, which used rubber picking fingers that were derived from a similar mechanism used to remove feathers from butchered poultry<ref name=":31" /> In 1965, the Sides contracted with Lockwood, a company that primarily worked with peanuts, to manufacture the machines.<ref name=":31" /> With over 800 acres of trees in the county, DeWayne McCasland has become a nationwide expert on pecans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> McCasland helped organize the Texas Pecan Growers Association, a pecan marketing cooperative that originally served Texas and Oklahoma growers.<ref name=":31" />
Truck farming also had its day in Mills County: one successful operation was Riverside Farm, owned by J.J. Cockrell near the Colorado River, which once had one hundred acres cultivated in a variety of fruits and a one-hundred tree pecan orchard.<ref name=":6" />
Before the COVID pandemic, land in the county was selling for around $2,000 an acre and since has increased to about double that value, or more.<ref name=":32" />
Renewable energy
[edit]There are currently four wind energy projects operating in Mills County that feature a total of 277 turbines and generate an estimated 846 MW of power.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Castle Gap Wind Power LLC [partially in Lampasas County]<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Flat Top Wind I LLC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Goldthwaite Wind Energy LLC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Priddy Wind Project LLC<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
[edit]Mills County's governing body is a commissioner's court operating under Dillon's Rule, consisting of a county judge and four commissioners.<ref name=":10" />
| Name | Date Elected | |
|---|---|---|
| Grundy, J.P. | 11/6/1888 | |
| Head, J.B. | 11/4/1890 | |
| Mohler, J.A. | 11/8/1892 | |
| Logan, A.V. | 11/6/1894 | |
| Logan, A.V. | 11/3/1896 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 11/8/1898 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 11/6/1900 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/4/1902 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/8/1904 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/6/1906 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/3/1908 | |
| Allen, S.H. | 11/8/1910 | |
| Allen, S.H. | 11/5/1912 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 11/3/1914 | |
| Weaver, A.B. | 11/7/1916 | |
| Weaver, Robert | 11/5/1918 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/2/1920 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/7/1922 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/4/1924 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/2/1926 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/6/1928 | |
| Simpson, Roy | 11/4/1930 | |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/8/1932 | |
| Gerald, R.J. | 11/8/1938 | |
| Gerald, R.J. | 11/5/1940 | |
| Patterson, John | 11/3/1942 | |
| Patterson, John L. | 11/7/1944 | |
| Patterson, John L. | 11/5/1946 | |
| Porter, L.B. | 11/2/1948 | |
| Porter, L.B. | 11/7/1950 | |
| Patterson, John L. | 11/4/1952 | |
| Patterson, John L. | 11/2/1954 | |
| Yarborough, W.G. | 11/4/1958 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 11/14/1960 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 11/6/1962 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 11/8/1966 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 11/3/1970 | |
| Faulkner, H.S. | 11/5/1974 | |
| Ledbetter, J.W. | 11/7/1978 | Ledbetter was appointed judge in November 1977 following the resignation of Herbert Faulkner; Ledbetter was officially elected in 1978. He then resigned on July 28, 1980 (effective August 1, 1980) and was replaced by L.B. Bynum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Johnson, Wallace | 11/4/1980 | Wallace elected to fill unexpired term of Jamie Ledbetter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Johnson, Wallace | 11/2/1982 | |
| Johnson, Wallace | 11/4/1986 | |
| Johnson, Wallace | 11/6/1990 | |
| Wright, Randy | 11/8/1994 | |
| Fulk, Kirkland<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 11/2008 | General Election 2008 |
| Fulk, Kirkland<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 11/2010 | General Election 2010 |
| Fulk, Kirkland<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 11/2014 | General Election 2014 |
| Smith, Ed<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | 5/22/2018 | Runoff election |
| Johnson, Jett | 11/8/2022 | Johnson won the May 24, 2022, Republican primary election<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and was sworn in as judge on August 26, 2022, a week after Judge Ed Smith resigned;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Johnson was unopposed at the November 8, 2022 general election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Name | Precinct | Date Elected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roach, Matt | 1 | 11/6/1888 | |
| Patterson, A.V. | 2 | 11/6/1888 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 3 | 11/6/1888 | |
| Cooke, S.L. | 4 | 11/6/1888 | |
| Clements, Phil W. | 1 | 11/4/1890 | |
| Patterson, A.V. | 2 | 11/4/1890 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 3 | 11/4/1890 | |
| Cooke, S.L. | 4 | 11/4/1890 | |
| Ashley, D.C. | 1 | 11/8/1892 | |
| Fletcher, W.H. | 2 | 11/8/1892 | |
| Belew, W.M. | 3 | 11/8/1982 | |
| Cooke, S.L. | 4 | 11/8/1892 | |
| Whitaker, Geo. | 1 | 11/6/1894 | |
| Fletcher, W.H. | 2 | 11/6/1894 | |
| Dalton, G.H. | 3 | 11/6/1894 | |
| Harvey, L.F. | 4 | 11/6/1894 | |
| Curry, P.E. | 1 | 11/3/1896 | |
| Head, J.B. | 2 | 11/3/1896 | |
| Sharp, R.B. | 3 | 11/3/1896 | |
| Harvey, L.F. | 4 | 11/3/1896 | |
| Roach, Matt | 1 | 11/8/1898 | |
| Head, J.B. | 2 | 11/8/1898 | |
| Boles, J. | 3 | 11/8/1898 | |
| Mason, W.J. | 4 | 11/8/1898 | |
| Humphries, M.C. | 1 | 11/6/1900 | |
| Patterson, A.V. | 2 | 11/6/1900 | |
| Fisher, J.L. | 3 | 11/6/1900 | |
| Nelson, Walter | 4 | 11/6/1900 | |
| Humphries, M.C. | 1 | 11/4/1902 | |
| Jones, J.F. | 2 | 11/4/1902 | |
| Henry, Hugh | 3 | 11/4/1902 | |
| Cooke, S.L. | 4 | 11/4/1902 | |
| Humphries, M.C. | 1 | 11/8/1904 | |
| Jones, J.F. | 2 | 11/8/1904 | |
| Henry, Hugh | 3 | 11/8/1904 | |
| Cook, S.L. | 4 | 11/8/1904 | |
| Humphries, M.C. | 1 | 11/6/1906 | |
| Jones, J.F. | 2 | 11/6/1906 | |
| Fletcher, J.A. | 3 | 11/6/1906 | |
| Cooke, S.L. | 4 | 11/6/1906 | |
| Berry, J.D. | 1 | 11/3/1908 | |
| Mason, J.W. | 2 | 11/3/1908 | |
| Renfro, J.B. | 3 | 11/3/1908 | |
| Nelson, W.H. | 4 | 11/3/1908 | |
| Hines, M.H. | 1 | 11/8/1910 | |
| Mason, J.W. | 2 | 11/8/1910 | |
| Renfro, J.B. | 3 | 11/8/1910 | |
| Nelson, W.H. | 4 | 11/8/1910 | |
| Hines, M.H. | 1 | 11/5/1912 | |
| Carter J.R. | 2 | 11/5/1912 | |
| Swindle, R.F. | 3 | 11/5/1912 | |
| Haynes, Reide M. | 4 | 11/5/1912 | |
| Karnes, A.D. | 1 | 11/7/1916 | |
| Henderson, J.F. | 2 | 11/7/1916 | |
| Hamilton, D.A. | 3 | 11/7/1916 | |
| Griffin, E.J. | 4 | 11/7/1916 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/2/1920 | |
| Head, C.A. | 2 | 11/2/1920 | |
| Johnson, W.C. | 3 | 11/2/1920 | |
| Bledsoe, J.T. | 4 | 11/2/1920 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/7/1922 | |
| Head, C.A. | 2 | 11/7/1922 | |
| Renfro, J.B. | 3 | 11/7/1922 | |
| Lowe, Jesse | 4 | 11/7/1922 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/4/1924 | |
| Biddle, W.M. | 2 | 11/4/1924 | |
| Johnson, W.C. | 3 | 11/4/1924 | |
| Lowe, Jesse | 4 | 11/4/1924 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/2/1926 | |
| Biddle, W.M. | 2 | 11/2/1926 | |
| Renfro, J.B. | 3 | 11/2/1926 | |
| Lowe, Jesse | 4 | 11/2/1926 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/4/1930 | |
| Biddle, W.M. | 2 | 11/4/1930 | |
| Duren, E.A. | 3 | 11/4/1930 | |
| Burnett, J.H. | 4 | 11/4/1930 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/8/1932 | |
| Hamilton, J.A. | 2 | 11/8/1932 | |
| McCurry, T. | 3 | 11/8/1932 | |
| Burnett, J.H. | 4 | 11/8/1932 | |
| Burnham, L.B. | 1 | 11/6/1934 | |
| Hamilton, J.A. | 2 | 11/6/1934 | |
| McCurry, T. | 3 | 11/6/1934 | |
| Egger, J.G. | 4 | 11/6/1934 | |
| Shaw, O.H. | 1 | 11/8/1938 | |
| Hamilton, J.A. | 2 | 11/8/1938 | |
| Barker, W.L. | 3 | 11/8/1938 | |
| Egger, J.G. | 4 | 11/8/1938 | |
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/3/1942 | |
| Hamilton, J.A. | 2 | 11/3/1942 | |
| McCurry, T. | 3 | 11/3/1942 | |
| Roberts, S.A. | 4 | 11/3/1942 | |
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/7/1944 | |
| Hamilton, J.A. | 2 | 11/7/1944 | |
| Henry, K.B. | 3 | 11/7/1944 | |
| Davis, J.F. | 4 | 11/7/1944 | |
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/5/1946 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/5/1946 | |
| 3 | 11/5/1946 | ||
| 4 | 11/5/1946 | ||
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/2/1948 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/2/1948 | |
| Henry, K.B. | 3 | 11/2/1948 | |
| Davis, J.F. | 4 | 11/2/1948 | |
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/7/1950 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/7/1950 | |
| Henry, K.B. | 3 | 11/7/1950 | |
| Davis, J.F. | 4 | 11/7/1950 | |
| Tullos, J.Y. | 1 | 11/4/1952 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/4/1952 | |
| Downey, Albert | 3 | 11/4/1952 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 4 | 11/4/1952 | |
| Shaw, O.H. | 1 | 11/2/1954 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/5/1954 | |
| Lee, W.T. | 3 | 11/2/1954 | |
| Egger, Cecil | 4 | 11/2/1954 | |
| Shaw, O.H. | 1 | 11/6/1956 | |
| Shaw, Kenneth H. | 1 | 11/9/1959 | |
| Lee, W.T. (Son) | 3 | 11/6/1956 | |
| Wall Fred V. | 2 | 11/4/1958 | |
| Brooks, H.G. | 4 | 11/4/1958 | |
| Rudd, Guy | 1 | 11/8/1960 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/6/1962 | |
| Lindsey, W.R. | 3 | 11/8/1960 | |
| Brooks, H.G. | 4 | 11/6/1962 | |
| Rudd, Guy | 1 | 11/2/1964 | |
| Lindsey, W.R. | 3 | 11/2/1964 | |
| Rowlett, A.R. | 4 | Unexpired term | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/8/1966 | |
| Rowlett, A.R. | 4 | 11/8/1966 | |
| Roberts, Burthal | 1 | 11/5/1968 | |
| Lindsey, Ray | 3 | 11/5/1968 | |
| Wall, Fred V. | 2 | 11/3/1970 | |
| Rowlett, A.R. | 4 | 11/3/1970 | |
| Roberts, Burthal | 1 | 11/7/1972 | |
| Lindsey, Ray | 3 | 11/7/1972 | |
| Watson, Lewis D. | 2 | 11/5/1974 | |
| Jernigan, Hawley | 4 | 11/5/1974 | |
| Roberts, Burthal | 1 | 11/2/1976 | |
| Crawford, W.G. | 3 | 11/2/1976 | |
| Watson, Lewis D. | 2 | 11/7/1978 | |
| Jernigan, Hawley | 4 | 11/7/1978 | |
| Daniel, Floyd | 1 | 11/4/1980 | |
| Crawford, William | 3 | 11/4/1980 | |
| Watson, Lewis | 2 | 11/2/1982 | |
| Jernigan, H.B. | 4 | 11/2/1984 | |
| Lindsay, Marvin | 1 | 11/6/1984 | |
| Schwartz, Lee Roy | 3 | 11/6/1984 | |
| Watson, Lewis | 2 | ||
| Thorne, Farrel | 4 | 11/4/1986 | |
| Lindsay, Marvin | 1 | 11/8/1988 | |
| Schwartz, Lee Roy | 3 | 11/8/1988 | |
| Parker, Bill | 2 | 11/6/1990 | |
| Griffin, Charles H. | 4 | 11/6/1990 | |
| Karnes, Joe | 1 | 11/3/1992 | |
| Schwartz, Lee Roy | 3 | 11/3/1992 | |
| Bunting, Carroll | 2 | 11/8/1994 | |
| Griffin, Charles H.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 4 | 3/8/1994 | Mrs. C.H. Griffin was appointed to her husband's unexpired term following his death<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Henry, Dale<ref name=":38">Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 | 11/5/1996 | |
| Karnes, Joe<ref name=":38" /> | 1 | 11/5/1996 | |
| Crawford, W.G.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 | 11/4/2008 | |
| Harper, K.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | 2 | 11/2/2010 | |
| Hall, R.<ref name=":21">Template:Cite web</ref> | 3 | 11/6/2012 | |
| Wright, M.<ref name=":21" /> | 1 | 11/6/2012 | |
| Garren, Jed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2 | 11/6/2018 | |
| Wright, Mike<ref name=":14">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1 | 11/6/2020 | |
| Partin, Dale<ref name=":14" /> | 3 | 11/6/2020 | |
| Head, Robert<ref name=":13" /> | 2 | 11/8/2022 | |
| Williams, Jason<ref name=":13">Template:Cite journal</ref> | 4 | 11/8/2022 |
| Name | Date Elected |
|---|---|
| Whitaker, Geo. | 11/6/1888 |
| Cervles, J.R. | 11/4/1890 |
| Unknown | 11/8/1892 |
| Anderson, E.B. | 11/6/1884 |
| Anderson, E.B. | 11/3/1896 |
| Patterson, Lon | 11/8/1898 |
| Patterson, L.E. | 11/6/1900 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/4/1902 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/8/1904 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/6/1906 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/3/1908 |
| Woods, W.H. | 11/8/1910 |
| Unknown | 11/5/1912 |
| Bowman, F.P. | 11/3/1914 |
| Bowman, F.P. | 11/7/1916 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/5/1918 |
| Pridbble, A.T. | 11/2/1920 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/7/1922 |
| Bowman, F.P. | 11/4/1924 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/2/1926 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/6/1928 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/4/1930 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/8/1932 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/8/1938 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/5/1940 |
| Pribble, Maston | 11/3/1942 |
| Pribble, A.T. | 11/7/1946 |
| Yarborough, W.G. | 11/5/1946 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/2/1948 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/7/1950 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/2/1954 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/4/1958 |
| Yarborough, W.G. | 11/6/1962 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/2/1964 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/5/1968 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/7/1972 |
| Pribble, A.M. | 11/2/1976 |
| Cockrum, J.C. | 11/4/1980 |
| Cockrum, J.C. | 11/8/1988 |
| Adams, Tommy | 11/3/1992 |
| Roberts, Keri<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 11/2008 |
| Hale, Gerald<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 11/2016 |
| Hale, Gerald<ref name=":14" /> | 11/6/2020 |
| Name | Date Elected | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Knight, L.R.<ref name=":17">Template:Cite journal</ref> | 11/2/2010 |
| Name | Date Elected | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cunningham, G.W. | 11/6/1888 | |
| Cunningham, G.W. | 11/4/1890 | |
| Geeslin, B.L. | 11/8/1892 | |
| Geeslin, B.J., Jr. | 11/6/1894 | |
| Geeslin, B.F. | 11/3/1896 | |
| Welch, W.G. | 11/8/1898 | |
| Welch, W.G. | 11/6/1900 | |
| Atkinson, R.J. | 11/4/1902 | |
| Atkinson, R.J. | 11/8/1904 | |
| Ezzell, H.C. | 11/6/1906 | |
| Ezzell, H.C. | 11/3/1908 | |
| Priddy, E.O. | 11/8/1910 | |
| Priddy, E.O. | 11/5/1912 | |
| Burnett, John H. | 11/3/1914 | |
| Burnett, J.H. | 11/7/1916 | |
| Evans, J. Everett | 11/5/1918 | |
| Evans, J. Everett | 11/2/1920 | |
| Karnes, A.D. | 11/7/1922 | |
| Karnes, A.D. | 11/4/1924 | |
| Bledsoe, Carl D. | 11/2/1926 | |
| Bledsoe, Carl D. | 11/6/1928 | |
| Bledsoe, Carl D. | 11/4/1930 | |
| Bledsoe, Carl D. | 11/8/1932 | |
| Harris, J.H. | 11/6/1934 | |
| Harris, J.H. | 11/8/1938 | |
| Harris, J.H. | 11/5/1940 | |
| Harris, J.H. | 11/3/1942 | |
| Reynolds, F.D. | 11/7/1944 | |
| Mahan, W.L. | 11/5/1946 | |
| Mahan, W.L. | 11/2/1948 | |
| Stubblefield, C.F. | 11/7/1950 | |
| Stubblefield, C.F. | 11/6/1956 | |
| Stubblefield, C.F. | 11/8/1960 | |
| Brooks, Horace | 11/2/1964 | |
| Brooks, Horace G. | 11/5/1968 | |
| Brooks, Horace | 11/7/1972 | |
| Brooks, Horace | 11/2/1976 | |
| Wetterman, Ron | 11/4/1980 | |
| Casbeer, Mack | 11/6/1984 | |
| Carr, Glenn<ref name=":38" /> | 11/8/1988 | |
| Carr, Glenn | 11/3/1992 | |
| Odom, Darwin<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 12/10/1996 | The general election held on 11/5/1996 resulted in a tie between Glenn Carr and Darwin Odom; a vote to break the tie was held on 12/10/1996 that declared Odom the winner. |
| Storey, Doug<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 12/2008 | |
| Hammonds, Clint<ref name=":14" /> | 11/6/2020 |
Education
[edit]School districts covering parts of the county include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>
- Brookesmith Independent School District
- Comanche Independent School District
- Goldthwaite Consolidated Independent School District
- Hamilton Independent School District
- Lometa Independent School District
- Mullin Independent School District
- Priddy Independent School District
- Zephyr Independent School District
Former school districts:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>
- Star Independent School District - Merged into Goldthwaite ISD on July 1, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
All of Mills County is in the Central Texas College District.<ref>Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.171. CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..</ref>
History of education
[edit]
Early settlers taught their children the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic at home when time allowed and within the limited boundaries of what they knew.<ref name=":1" /> The first schools were held in the summertime under brush arbors, and teachers' meager pay was supplemented by gifts of provisions and free rent.<ref name=":1" /> Attendance was poor due to the long distances that students had to travel.<ref name=":1" /> Taught self-reliance and independence at home, lots of students defied the direction of teachers.<ref name=":1" /> One of the early school teachers before Mills County was Phil H. Clements, who was teaching in 1878 after moving to Williams Ranch.<ref name=":6" /> The concept of grades did not exist in the early days: students were classified according to reading level, e.g. second reader.<ref name=":1" /> Often older, advanced students were called upon to teacher their juniors.<ref name=":9" />
School buildings started appearing in the 1860s and early 1870s, which were constructed by local men of logs with dirt floors, appointed with split-log benches and fireplaces, which a few years later were replaced by wood stoves.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":9" /> Eventually log schools evolved into lumber-based buildings as material became available.<ref name=":9" /> Schools usually had one room that had partitions made of panels or curtains for classrooms.<ref name=":1" /> Books were donated by parents.<ref name=":9" /> Most early schools had a tower with a bell, which rang out to announce the start of the school day.<ref name=":1" /> Most also had a stage with a curtain made of advertising squares promoting local merchants, along with artistic embellishments, which was a source of community pride.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> State support of pre-Mills County schools was minimal in the early days: for instance, Williams Ranch received ninety-nine dollars in 1878.<ref name=":6" /> Students brought simple lunches in lard buckets, usually consisting of leftover bisquits.<ref name=":1" /> In the early days, only Goldthwaite, Mullin, Priddy, and Star offered high school diplomas.<ref name=":1" />
An important order of business at the first meeting of the Mills County Commissioner's Court on October 12, 1887, was to incorporate schools that existed at the time into the a new county educational system, including establishing local school taxes.<ref name=":9" />
| Brown County | Hamilton County | Lampasas County |
|---|---|---|
| "Union District at Goldthwaite" | District No. 35: Long Branch | District No. 40: Big Valley |
| William Ranch at Williams Ranch | District No. 46: Payne Gap | District No. 31: Big Valley |
| William Ranch at William Ranch (Black) | District No. 36: Center City | District No. 35: Kelley |
| Rock Springs at Rock Springs | District No. 39: Pleasant Grove | |
| Browns Creek on North Brown Creek | District No. 38 South Bennett | |
| Pompey Mountain near Pompey Mountain | District No. 37: North Bennett | |
| Ewing on Bayou | ||
| Williams at Mouth of Blanket Creek | ||
| Blanket Springs on Blanket Creek | ||
| Pleasant Ridge west of Blanket Creek | ||
| Cold Spring on Colorado River | ||
| Jones Valley on Colorado River | ||
| Hanna Valley on Colorado River | ||
| Buffalo Creek on Colorado River | ||
| Pompey Creek on Pompey Creek |
In 1900, Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Hatcher organized the Mills County Institute, also known as Hatcher University, in Goldthwaite on Fisher Street. It closed in 1907.<ref name=":6" />
In 1907, the "Self Culture Club" opened the first community library in the M.L. Brown Drug Store.<ref name=":6" /> Miss Alline Howell, a teacher at the Rye Valley School, gathered community support to open the first county school library in 1915.<ref name=":6" /> Its first collection of books were purchased as a lot from Farm and Ranch Magazine.<ref name=":6" />
By 1910, there were fifty-two public schools in Mills County with sixty-five teachers, and by 1976, there were eighty-one schools.<ref name=":1" />
During the 1930s, with teachers desperate for jobs, school boards were able to make strenuous demands of teachers, often requiring them to live in the community where they taught, agree to leave the community only one weekend per month, participate in various community events, and sometimes agree to not marry.<ref name=":1" />
The Star School building, erected in 1940, is the only school in the county to be built by the W.P.A.<ref name=":1" />
Today Mills County has four consolidated schools: Goldthwaite, Mullin, and Priddy [source included Star, which consolidated with Goldthwaite Consolidated ISD on July 1, 2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>].<ref name=":1" />
Recreation
[edit]The early county residents enjoyed a number of diversions, including dancing, attending movies, running horse races, going to town on Saturdays, and drinking at the saloons.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> The first Mills County fairgrounds, located on the south side of Goldthwaite to the east of Livestock Commission Company, had a number of features, including a race track, baseball and football fields, an exhibition building, a band and dance platform, and sometimes a skating rink.<ref name=":1" /> It also hosted a carnival.<ref name=":1" /> All Goldthwaite football games were held at the football field at the fairgrounds—without bleachers–until a stadium was built near the school in the late 1930s.<ref name=":1" /> The circus, hosted in Goldthwaite, also attracted residents from across the county.<ref name=":1" /> Another regular diversion for county residents were medicine shows, held in Goldthwaite, in which proprietors put on an entertaining show designed to sell nostrums.<ref name=":1" /> In the 1920s, Lake Merrit attracted many Mills County residents, who camped and swam there.<ref name=":1" />
Goldthwaite is home to the Texas State Championship BBQ & Goat Cook-off, which was started in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
An abundance of deer, dove, hogs, turkey, and small game attracts recreational hunters from Texas and beyond.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Fishing is also a popular activity in the county.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The annual Mills County Youth Fair & Stock Show, a collaboration of FFA, FHA, and 4-H chapters from across the county, has been in operation for over 80 years.<ref name=":36">Template:Cite journal</ref> Mills County Extension Agent Tom Guthrie observed, "I think this is probably the largest single event in the county that brings kids and adults from all over Mills County together.<ref name=":36" />
The Goldthwaite Theatre, established in 2017, occupies a historic property in downtown Goldthwaite that was once an opera house in the late nineteenth century.<ref name=":37">Template:Cite journal</ref> The building is owned by the city's Economic Development Corporation.<ref name=":37" />
Politics
[edit]Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
In a groundbreaking political study published in 1964, Mills County was identified as being entrenched in liberalism with voters overwhelmingly supporting Democratic politicians, owing to the county's southern heritage of liberal populism and single-party politics.<ref name=":16" /> In 2010, The Goldthwaite Eagle reported the county's dramatic shift to the Republican party following a long history of landslide Democratic voting in local elections.<ref name=":17" />
Votes cast at the county's general election for November 8, 2022, showed a 90% Republican and 10% Democratic split.<ref name=":13" />
Historical notes
[edit]The Populist Party was at its height in Mills County towards the end of the nineteenth century.<ref name=":6" />
A prohibition movement starting in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries lead to a ban on alcohol in the Goldthwaite School District; in 1908, liquor ban went into effect for the whole county.<ref name=":6" /> A local option election held on November 8, 2016, lifted the ban on alcohol sales within the Goldthwaite city limits (357 votes for and 277 against).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A special buffalo bar-b-que organized by a number of local businessman in 1948 welcomed Lyndon B. Johnson, who arrived by helicopter and delivered a speech to a crowd of 2,500 at the baseball field near Lampasas Commission Company.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Media
[edit]
The first known newspaper, preceding the formation of Mills County, was the Rancho Rackett, which started around 1880 at Williams Ranch.<ref name=":1" /> A broadside appeared in Goldthwaite, printed on a portable press by Lampasas resident "Calamity" Bonner, and is credited as the first paper distributed in the town.<ref name=":6" /> The Goldthwaite Mountaineer was published by W.H. Thompson<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> starting on March 5, 1886, before ending publication in 1898 under Col. J.K. Street and merging with the Brownwood Record.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":25">Template:Cite news</ref> Col. Street, after publishing The Goldthwaite Mountaineer for about three months, determined that the town could not sustain two newspapers.<ref name=":25" /> The first profitable weekly newspaper, The Mountain Eagle, was established by W.H. Thompson and R.M. Thompson in 1894.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /> An early issue of the paper identifies itself as "the organ of Mills County."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year a weekly called The Mills County Advocate commenced publication.<ref name=":6" /> In 1896, The Mountain Eagle was sold, and its name changed to The Goldthwaite Eagle.<ref name=":1" /> The Mullin Enterprise, which began in 1902,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> merged with The Eagle in 1950.<ref name=":1" />
Mills County is part of the Waco/Temple/Killeen (Central Texas) DMA. Local media outlets include: KCEN-TV, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV, KWKT-TV and KNCT-TV. Two other television stations from the Abilene/Sweetwater/Brownwood DMA provide coverage for Mills County, KTAB-TV and KRBC-TV. KRNR FM 92.7, "Redneck Radio," currently broadcasts from Goldthwaite.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the 1920s, a radio station owned by the Eagle Publishing Company, KGKB (frequency 1070 KC), broadcast from The Goldthwaite Eagle editorial offices before moving to Brownwood.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
[edit]Pioneers traveled through pre-Mills County by wagon pulled by ox, mule, or horse teams on primitive clearings through wooded areas or via crude trails that were often nearly impassable in wet conditions due to mud holes.<ref name=":6" /> Rivers were forded, but some waterways had log bridges.<ref name=":6" /> They went to Waco or Houston for supplies—a round trip to Waco took seven to ten days.<ref name=":6" /> Freight wagons moved the same way loaded with hogs, wood, hides, pelts, and pecans to be traded for supplies, and they were sometimes followed by a herd of cattle.<ref name=":6" />
Today the county maintains approximately 445 miles of county roads.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1901, before the Texas Highway Department was formed, county roads were maintained via a $3.00-per-person tax, known as the "road tax."<ref name=":6" /> Instead of paying the tax, a person could work three days a week on the road or hire someone else to take his place.<ref name=":6" />
Railroad
[edit]
The railroad had a profound impact on the development of the county.<ref name=":6" /> In 1885, the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad laid tracks through Goldthwaite, Pegtown, and Mullin, then onto Brownwood, bypassing Williams Ranch and Center City, both of which had anticipated being stops.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref> The primary impetus for the railroad to pass through the county was to reach San Angelo livestock markets.<ref name=":24">Template:Cite web</ref>
The railroad created Goldthwaite and Mullin, similar to about twenty other townsites the railroad platted and auctioned along its path.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":12" /> On September 2, 1885, two years before Mills County formed, a GC&SFR train made a stop at Goldthwaite (then in Brown County), and on that day Thos. W. Jackson, Santa Fe Land Commissioner, begin auctioning lots that would be the foundation of the town.<ref name=":1" /> On December 31, 1885, regular train service began in Goldthwaite, with the town serving as a division point.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> By 1886, the railroad was the largest employer in the county, with thirty-six in its workforce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1905, the railroad boosted land ownership and farming in Mills County by offering employees the option to purchase land along its tracks through payroll deductions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
[edit]
Before the postal service arrived in pre-Mills County in the late 1870s, mail was carried by travelers or cowboys from San Saba.<ref name=":6" /> The earliest known postmaster in the area was James D. Williams at Williams Ranch, who was appointed on January 16, 1877.<ref name=":6" /> Miss Dera Humphries is recognized as first woman mail carrier in Mills County, serving from 1921 to 1941.<ref name=":6" />
| Name | Date(s) |
|---|---|
| Antelope Gap | 1892-1914 |
| Big Valley | 1877-1906 |
| Bowlder | 1880-1880 |
| Caradan | 1899-1972 |
| Center City | 1877-1920 |
| Clements | 1899-1899 |
| Coy | 1894-1903 |
| Ebony | 1891-1945 |
| Goldthwaite | 1886- |
| Gorey | 1882-1883 |
| Hannaville | 1876-1882 |
| Hydesport | 1884-1887 |
| Minor | 1886-1892 |
| Mullin | 1886- |
| Payne [Gap] | 1888-1916 |
| Pompey | 1893-1893 |
| Priddy | 1891-1895 |
| Priddy | 1899- |
| Ratler | 1892-1929 |
| Regency | 1884-1934 |
| Ridge | 1909-1917 |
| Scallorn | 1916-1932 |
| Sneed | 1893-1900 |
| Star | 1884- |
| Williams Ranch | 1877-1892 |
Significant structures
[edit]
Mills County's first courthouse, officially recognized on June 25, 1890, was built by John Cormack of Lampasas and paid by bonds amounting to $27,500.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /> On May 5, 1912, the courthouse burned, allegedly by arson.<ref name=":0" /> After the fire, a controversy erupted over whether the replacement courthouse should be built in Goldthwaite or Mullin, some arguing that Mullin was closer to the center of the county and should be named the new county seat.<ref name=":6" /> The Texas Land Commissioner located the center of the county, closer to Goldthwaite, and marked it with a bronze marker designated "Center Point."<ref name=":6" /> Goldthwaite would remain the county seat.<ref name=":6" /> Later that year, the county hired Henry T. Phelps to design and specify a new courthouse, and construction was completed by the Gordon-Jones Construction Company on November 17, 1913, at a cost of around $69,000.<ref name=":0" /> The classical revival courthouse was recently renovated through a grant from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1915 during Jim Crow, a Confederate Memorial Monument was placed on the courthouse grounds in Goldthwaite, funded by public donations, the civic organization Self Culture Club, Jeff Davis Camp 117, and the United Confederate Veterans.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Called the "Goldthwaite Calaboose," the first jail in Mills County was ordered to be built in 1887 at a cost of $15.00.<ref name=":1" /> It was an eight-foot square building made of 2" x 12" lumber that was located on the south side of the courthouse square.<ref name=":20">Template:Cite book</ref> On October 12, 1887, county judge J.B. Head began to take bids for building a new jail.<ref name=":35">Template:Cite web</ref> The limestone jail that still stands was built by Green and Nichols of Lampasas at a cost of $8,850; it was completed in April 1888, six months and nine days following ground breaking.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":20" /><ref name=":35" /> J.B. Dumas, the designer, specified that the upper floor contain prisoner cells and the bottom floor accommodate sheriff's offices.<ref name=":20" /> Diebold Safe and Lock Company made the cells and ironwork.<ref name=":20" /> It served as the county jail until the 1950s and was in use until 1977.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":33">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1965, it received a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":33" />
-
Mills County Courthouse (right) and Jail (left)
-
Regency Suspension Bridge spanning the Colorado River between Mills and San Saba counties
See also
[edit]- List of counties in Texas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Mills County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Mills County
External links
[edit]- Mills County Profile - County Information Program, Texas Association of Counties
- Template:Handbook of Texas
- Legislation Creating Mills County - Legislative Reference Library of Texas
References
[edit]
Template:Mills County, Texas
Template:Texas counties
Template:Texas