Kerr County, Texas
Kerr County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 43,653. Its county seat is Kerrville[1]. Kerr County was named by Joshua D. Brown for his fellow Kentucky native, James Kerr, a congressman of the Republic of Texas. Kerr never set foot in Kerr County, as he died six years before the establishment of Kerrville.
The Kerrville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Kerr County.
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History Timeline
- 8000 b.c. Early native American inhabitants arrive. Later native Americans include Kiowa, Comanche and Lipan Apache.[2]
- 1519-1685 Hernando Cortez and Alonso Álvarez de Pineda claim Texas for Spain.
- 1821 Mexico claims its independence from Spain. Anglos from the north settle in Texas and claim Mexican citizenship.
- 1829, September 15 - Mexican President Vicente Ramon Guerrero, himself an ex-slave of Spanish, African and Native American descent, emancipates all slaves within the Republic of Mexico:[4][5]
1st - Slavery is abolished in the republic.
- 2nd - Consequently, those who have been until now considered slaves are free.
- 3rd - When the circumstances of the treasury may permit, the owners of the slaves will be indemnified in the mode that the laws may provide. And in order that every part of this decree may be fully complied with, let it be printed, published, and circulated.
- Given at the Federal Palace of Mexico, the 15th of September, 1829.
- Vicente Guerrero To José María Bocanegra
- 1836
- March 2 - Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico establishes the Republic of Texas.
- March 6 - The Alamo falls.
- April 21•22 - Battle of San Jacinto, Antonio López de Santa Anna captured.
- May 14 - Santa Anna signs the Treaties of Velasco.
- April 21•22 - Battle of San Jacinto, Antonio López de Santa Anna captured.
- March 6 - The Alamo falls.
- 1842
- April 20 - Adelsverein [6] organized in Germany to promote emigration to Texas.
- 1844, June 26 - Henry Francis Fisher sells interest in land grant to Adelsverein
- 1845
- Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels secures title to 1,265 acres of the Veramendi grant for the Adelsverein.
- February - Thousands of German immigrants are stranded at port of disembarkation Indianaola on Matagorda Bay. With no food or shelters, living in holes dug into the ground, an estimated 50% die from disease or starvation. The living begin to walk to their destinations hundreds of miles away.[8][9]
- May - John O. Meusebach arrives in Galveston.[10] Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller sell their rights in the land grant to Adelsverein.
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- December 29 - Texas Annexation by the United States
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- May - John O. Meusebach arrives in Galveston.[10] Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller sell their rights in the land grant to Adelsverein.
- February - Thousands of German immigrants are stranded at port of disembarkation Indianaola on Matagorda Bay. With no food or shelters, living in holes dug into the ground, an estimated 50% die from disease or starvation. The living begin to walk to their destinations hundreds of miles away.[8][9]
- 1846
- March - Texas legislature forms Comal County from the Eighth Precinct of Bexar County. New Braunfels is the county seat.
- Joshua Brown (Texas pioneer) becomes first settler.[11]
- May 13 - The United States Congress officially declares war on Mexico.
- Joshua Brown (Texas pioneer) becomes first settler.[11]
- 1848, February 2 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ends the Mexican-American War.
- 1854
- John O. Meusebach receives an appointment as commissioner from Governor Elisha M. Pease [13] to issue land certificates to those immigrants of 1845 and 1846 who had been promised them by the Adelsverein.
- May 14•15, San Antonio - The Texas State Convention of Germans adopt a political, social and religious platform, including: 1) Equal pay for equal work; 2) Direct election of the President of the United States; 3) Abolition of capital punishment; 4) “Slavery is an evil, the abolition of which is a requirement of democratic principles..”; 5) Free schools • including universities - supported by the state, without religious influence; and 6) Total separation of church and state.[14]
- 1855, July 8 - United States Army post Camp Verde established.
- 1856
- January 26 - Kerr County is formed from Bexar Land District Number 2. Joshua Brown donates the land that will become Kerrville, and has it named for his friend James Kerr. Kerrville is the county seat.
- U.S. Camel Corps headquartered at Verde is the brainchild of United States Secretary of War (1853-57) Jefferson Davis.[15][16]
- 1859 Community of Center Point is established.[17]
- 1860-1861
- County population of 634, includes 49 slaves.
- Sons of Hermann lodge, for descendents of German heritage, is established in the County. The lodge is named for German chieftain folk hero Hermann the Cherusker.
- 1861
- A bitterly divided Kerr County votes 76-57 for secession from the Union, with most German residents being against it.
- February 1 - Texas secedes from the Union.
- March 2 - Texas joins the Confederate States of America.
- Unionists from Kerr, Gillespie, and Kendall counties participate in the formation of the Union League, a secret organization to support President Abraham Lincoln’s policies.[18]
- March 2 - Texas joins the Confederate States of America.
- February 1 - Texas secedes from the Union.
- 1862
- The Union League forms companies to protect the frontier against Indians and their families against local Confederate forces. Conscientious objectors to the military draft are primarily among Tejanos and Germans .
- May 30 • Confederate authorities impose martial law on Central Texas.
- August 10 - Nueces massacre in Kinney County. Jacob Kuechler serves as a guide for 61 conscientious objectors attempting to flee to Mexico. Scottish born Confederate irregular James Duff [19] and his Duff’s Partisan Rangers pursue and overtake them at the Nueces River, 34 are killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. Jacob Kuechler survives the battle. The cruelty shocks the people of Gillespie County. 2,000 take to the hills to escape Duff's reign of terror.
- May 30 • Confederate authorities impose martial law on Central Texas.
- 1863, January 1 • The Emancipation Proclamation.[22]
- 1865
- April 9 • Robert E. Lee formally surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House.
- April 15 • President Abraham Lincoln dies of a head wound inflicted by assassin John Wilkes Booth.
- June 19 • Major General Gordon Granger arrives in Galveston to enforce the emancipation of all slaves. It is the first time African Americans in Texas know of the Emancipation. The date becomes celebrated annually in Texas as Juneteenth, and later as an official state holiday known as Emancipation Day.[23]
- December 6 • The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits slavery.
- June 19 • Major General Gordon Granger arrives in Galveston to enforce the emancipation of all slaves. It is the first time African Americans in Texas know of the Emancipation. The date becomes celebrated annually in Texas as Juneteenth, and later as an official state holiday known as Emancipation Day.[23]
- April 15 • President Abraham Lincoln dies of a head wound inflicted by assassin John Wilkes Booth.
- 1866, August 10 - Treüe der Union ("Loyalty to the Union") monument in Comfort dedicated to the Texans slain at the Nueces massacre. It is the only monument to the Union outside of the National Cemeteries on Confederate territory. It is one of only six such sites allowed to fly the United States flag at half-mast in perpetuity.[24][25]
- 1870, March 30 - The United States Congress readmits Texas into the Union.
- 1880 Y O Ranch is founded by Charles Armand Schreiner .[26][27]
- 1887 The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway is built through Kerrville.
- 1897, May 27 - John O. Meusebach dies at his farm at Loyal Valley in Mason County, is buried in the Marschall Meusebach Cemetery at Cherry Spring.[28]
- 1919 The American Legion of Texas establishes what will eventually be called the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kerrville.[29][30]
- 1923 Schreiner University is established in Kerrville.
- 1929 Mooney Aircraft is established in Kerrville.[32]
- 1930 Kerrville is called the "Mohair Capital of the World."
- 1949 The Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital is completed.[33]
- 1951 Kerrville State Hospital opens.[34]
- 1963 Hud starring Paul Newman is filmed at Camp Waldemar in Hunt.
- 1972 The first Kerrville Folk Festival is held.
- 1975 The Great Waldo Pepper starring Robert Redford is filmed in Kerrville.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,108 square miles (2,869 km²), of which, 1,106 square miles (2,865 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.14%) is water.
Major highways
- Interstate 10
- U.S. Highway 83
- State Highway 16
- State Highway 27
- State Highway 39
- State Highway 41
- State Highway 173
Adjacent counties
- Kimble County (north)
- Gillespie County (northeast)
- Kendall County (east)
- Bandera County (south)
- Real County (southwest)
- Edwards County (west)
Demographics
As of the census[35] of 2000, there were 43,653 people, 17,813 households, and 12,308 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 20,228 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.89% White, 1.78% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.60% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 19.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 17,813 households out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 22.20% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 24.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,283, and the median income for a family was $40,713. Males had a median income of $27,425 versus $21,149 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,767. About 10.30% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Center Point (unincorporated)
- Hunt (unincorporated)
- Ingram
- Kerrville
- Mountain Home (unincorporated)
See also
References
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Handbook of Texas, Kerr County
- ^ The Six National Flags of Texas
- ^ The Magnificent Life of Vicente Ramon Guerrero
- ^ TAMU Chieftans of Mexican Independence
- ^ Handbook of Texas, Adelsverein
- ^ Texas Almanac, The German Settlements in Central Texas
- ^ Texas Escapes, Indianaola
- ^ Texas Escapes, Death March to Comal County
- ^ Handbook of Texas, John O. Meusebach
- ^ Kerr County Historical Commission Joshua Brown
- ^ Texas Historical Marker, Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
- ^ Find A Grave, Elisha M. Pease
- ^ TSHA online, Texas State Convention of Germans
- ^ Camp Verde
- ^ Texas Escapes, Camp Verde
- ^ Texas Escapes, Center Point
- ^ Handbook of Texas, The Union League
- ^ Handbook of Texas, James Duff
- ^ TexGenWeb, Spring Creek Cemetery
- ^ Find A Grave
- ^ Government documents, Emancipation Proclamation
- ^ Cinnamon Hearts Juneteenth
- ^ Texas Escapes, Treüe der Union monument
- ^ TexGenWeb Treue Der Union Monument, with List of Names
- ^ YO Ranch
- ^ Texas Handbook, Charles Schreiner
- ^ Find A Grave, John O. Meusebach
- ^ So Tex Veterans Health Care System
- ^ American Legion of Texas
- ^ Camp Waldemar
- ^ Mooney Aircraft
- ^ Peterson Regional Medical Center
- ^ Kerrville State Hospital
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Kerr County Government Home Page Kerr County
- Kerr County from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Kerrville/Kerr County Local Government Wiki
| Kimble County | Gillespie County | |||
| Edwards County | Kendall County | |||
| Kerr County, Texas | ||||
| Real County | Bandera County |
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Coordinates: 30°04′N 99°21′W / 30.06°N 99.35°W
Categories: Texas counties | Kerr County, Texas | Guadalupe River (Texas)
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