Brown County, Texas

Updated on Sep 29, 2024

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Founded 1858 Seat Brownwood Congressional district 11th Area 2,479 km² Unemployment rate 4.0% (Apr 2015)		Named for Henry Stevenson Brown Largest city Brownwood Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Population 37,749 (2013) University Howard Payne University

Cities Brownwood, Early, Bangs, Blanket Rivers Pecan Bayou (Colorado River), Dry Blanket Creek Points of interest Coggin Park, The Gordon Wood Hal, The Brownwood Harvey H

Brown County is a county in west-central Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,106. Its county seat is Brownwood. The county was founded in 1856 and later organized in 1858. It is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco.

Map of Brown County, TX, USA

The Brownwood, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Brown County.

History

Among first inhabitants were the Penteka.

1721 The Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo expedition is said to have passed through the county.

1838 Land surveys are made of the area.

1856 Mississippi transplant Welcome W. Chandler becomes the first settler, arriving with his family, John H. Fowler, and seven slaves. They built a log cabin on Pecan Bayou. The county is formed from Comanche and Travis. It is named after pioneer from Kentucky, Henry Stevenson Brown.

1858 The county is organized. Brownwood is the county seat.

1874 John Wesley Hardin and gang celebrate his 21st birthday in Brown and Comanche Counties. Deputy Charles Webb draws his gun, provoking a gunfight that ends Webb’s life. A lynch mob is formed, but Hardin and his family are put into protective custody. The mob breaks into the jail and hangs his brother Joe and two cousins. Hardin flees.

1875 The Fort Worth-Brownwood stage is robbed five times in two months.

1879 Oil is discovered on the H. M. Barnes farm near Grosvenor.

1886 Texas Rangers kill two fence cutters in the ongoing battle between farmers and ranchers over fencing open range.

1890 Cotton becomes the county’s important crop.Pulitzer Prize author Katherine Ann Porter is born at Indian Creek.

1889 Howard Payne College and Daniel Baker College are established in Brownwood.

1892 The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway is built to the county.

1895 The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built into Brownwood.

1903 The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe line extends the line to Menard. The county votes itself a dry county. Alcohol would not become legal again until the 1950s.

1909 The boll weevil moves into the county, destroying the cotton economy.

1917 First commercial production of oil comes from the efforts of Jack Pippen at Brownwood.

1919 The first large field begins producing from a depth of 1,100 feet (340 m) in 1919 near Cross Cut.

1926 An oil boom follows the success of the White well on Jim Ned Creek; some 600 wells are drilled in several fields in the county during this time.

1938 Lake Brownwood State Park opens to the public.

1940 Work begins on Camp Bowie .

1943 The first German prisoners of war arrive; many are members of Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps.

1953 Howard Payne College and Daniel Baker College combine under the name Howard Payne College.

1991 More than 50,561,000 barrels (8,038,600 m³) of oil had been taken from Brown County lands since 1917.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 957 square miles (2,480 km²), of which 944 square miles (2,440 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.3%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 67

U.S. Highway 84

U.S. Highway 183

U.S. Highway 377

State Highway 279

Farm to Market Road 45

Adjacent counties

Eastland County (north)

Comanche County (northeast)

Mills County (southeast)

San Saba County (south)

McCulloch County (southwest)

Coleman County (west)

Callahan County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 37,674 people, 14,306 households, and 10,014 families resided in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 17,889 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.35% White, 4.01% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 6.07% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. About 15.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 14,306 households in the county, 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were not families. About 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,974, and for a family was $37,725. Males had a median income of $30,169 versus $19,647 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,624. About 14.00% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The Brownwood Bulletin is the local daily newspaper, an American Consolidated Media company that also serves media online through its website. Brown County is part of the Abilene/Sweetwater/Brownwood television media market. Area television stations include KRBC-TV, KTXS-TV, KXVA, KTAB-TV, and KIDU-LD.

Area radio stations include News/Talk 102.3 KXYL, which simulcasts on KXYL 1240 AM, Hot A/C "The Breeze" KQBZ 96.9, Country KOXE 101.3, Christian KPSM 99.3, KBUB 90.3, and Oldies KBWD 1380 AM.