McCulloch County, Texas

McCulloch County, Texas
The McCulloch County Courthouse in Brady.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1856
Seat	Brady
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,073 sq mi (2,779 km²) 1,069 sq mi (2,769 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.38%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	8,283 8/sq mi (3/km²)

McCulloch County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The geographical center of Texas lies within the county. In 2000, its population was 8,205. Its county seat is Brady^[1]. McCulloch is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger and Confederate general.

History timeline

• 5000 b.c. – 1500 a.d. Early native American inhabitants include Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, Comanche, Tawakoni.^[2]
• 1788 José Mares expedition from San Antonio to Santa Fe.^[3]
• 1831, November 21 - In the Brady vicinity, James Bowie, Rezin P. Bowie, David Buchanan, Cephas D. Hamm, Matthew Doyle, Jesse Wallace, Thomas McCaslin, Robert Armstrong, James Coryell with two servants, Charles and Gonzales, hold at bay for a day and a night 164 Caddo and Lipans. After 80 warriors have been killed, the Indians withdraw.^[4]
• 1852 Camp San Saba established to protect settlers from Indians.^[5]
• 1856 The Sixth Legislature forms McCulloch County from Bexar, named for Benjamin McCulloch.^[2]
• 1876 Voca Waterwheel Mill built.^[6]
• 1880 Brady Sentinel is established by D.F. Hayes, county’s first newspaper. Later is absorbed by Heart o’ Texas News run by R.B. Boyle.^[2]
• 1886-1912 County Swedish colonies of East Sweden,^[7] West Sweden^[8] and Melvin^[9] are established.
• 1897-1910 Brady Enterprise aka McCulloch County Enterprise is published.^[2]
• 1899 McCulloch County sandstone courthouse built. Romanesque Revival style by architects Martin & Moodie.^[10]
• 1900 The Milburn Messenger is edited by T.F. Harwell. Cotton becomes a major county crop.^[2]
• 1903 Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway comes to McCulloch.^[2]
• 1904-1907 W.D. Currie publishes the Mercury Mascot.^[2]
• 1906-1910 McCulloch County Star is published.^[2]
• 1909 Brady Standard, edited by F.W. Schwenker, begins publication. Absorbs McCulloch County Star and the Brady Enterprise in 1910.^[2]
• 1909 The Rochelle Record started by W.D. Cowan.^[2]
• 1915 The Melvin Rustler begins publication.^[2]
• 1917 J. Marvin Hunter founds Melvin Enterprise.^[2]
• 1920’s McCulloch County billing itself as "The Turkey Center of the Universe", holds an annual Turkey Trot.^[2]
• 1923 J. Marvin Hunter founds Frontier Times in Melvin and later moves it to Bandera.^[11]
• 1923 Dan Collins Taylor, a rodeo perfomer and promoter was born in Doole in McCulloch County. He died there in 2010.^[12]
• 1930’s Tenant farming in the county peaks at 60%.^[2]
• 1932 Colorado River floods, cresting at 62.2 feet (19.0 m).^[2]
• 1938 Brady Creek floods, cresting at 29.1 feet (8.9 m). The San Saba River floods, cresting at 39.8 feet (12.1 m).^[13]
• 1941 Curtis Field, named for Brady Mayor Harry L. Curtis, opens with 80 students as a flying school.^[14]
• 1943 County prisoner of war camp set up and includes Rommel's Afrika Corps, as well as members of the S.S. and the Gestapo.^[2]
• 1946 Crockett State School takes over former POW camp and uses as a training school for delinquent black girls.^[15]
• 1954-1960 Forty-eight restraining structures installed in the county to control flooding.^[2]
• 1963 Brady Creek Reservoir is constructed, partially controlling flooding on the San Saba River.^[16] Tourist Information Marker placed, declaring McCulloch the geographical center of Texas.^[17]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,073 square miles (2,780 km²), of which 1,069 square miles (2,770 km²) is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) (0.38%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 87
• U.S. Highway 190
• U.S. Highway 283
• U.S. Highway 377
• State Highway 71

Adjacent counties

• Coleman County (north)
• Brown County (northeast)
• San Saba County (east)
• Mason County (south)
• Menard County (southwest)
• Concho County (west)

Demographics

As of the census^[18] of 2000, there were 8,205 people, 3,277 households, and 2,267 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 4,184 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.64% White, 1.57% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 11.71% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 27.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,277 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,705, and the median income for a family was $30,783. Males had a median income of $25,844 versus $18,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,579. About 17.30% of families and 22.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.40% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Brady
• Doole (unincorporated)
• Fife (unincorporated)
• Lohn (unincorporated)
• Melvin
• Mercury (unincorporated)
• Pear Valley (unincorporated)
• Rochelle (unincorporated)
• Voca (unincorporated)

Education

The following school districts serve McCulloch County:

• Brady ISD (small portion in Concho County)
• Lohn ISD
• Mason ISD (mostly in Mason County; small portions in Kimble, Menard, and San Saba counties)
• Rochelle ISD

Government and infrastructure

In 1947 the State of Texas opened the Brady State School for Negro Girls in a former prisoner of war camp in McCulloch County, near Brady on a former prisoner of war camp leased from the Federal Government of the United States. In 1950 the state replaced the Brady facility with the Crockett State School.^[19]

See also

Texas portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in McCulloch County, Texas
• Old McCulloch County Jail

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q} Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "McCulloch County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcm07. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
3. ^ Bolton, Herbert Eugene (1915). Texas in the middle eighteenth century: Studies in Spanish colonial history and administration. University of Michigan Library. p. 130. 
4. ^ "Site of Indian Battle - Brady vicinity, McCulloch County, Texas". Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307004815&search_term=Site+of+Indian+Battle+. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
5. ^ "Fort McKavett". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Fort-McKavett-Texas.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
6. ^ "Voca Waterwheel Mill". Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307005658. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
7. ^ "East Sweden". Texas Historical Markers. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/East-Sweden-Texas.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
8. ^ "West Sweden". Texas Historical Markers. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/West-Sweden-Texas.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
9. ^ "Melvin". Texas Historical Markers. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Melvin-Texas.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
10. ^ "McCulloch County Courthouse". Texas Historical Markers. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.. http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/BradyTexas/Brady-Texas-McCulloch-County-Courthouse.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
11. ^ "About J. Marvin Hunter and Hunter's FRONTIER TIMES Magazine". Frontier Times. http://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/About.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
12. ^ "Becky Orr, "Cowboy was boss of Chute 9 at CFD for 49 years"". wyomingnews.com. http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/07/19/news/20local_07-19-11.txt. Retrieved August 4, 2011. 
13. ^ Burnett, Jonathan (2008). Flash Floods in Texas. TAMU Press. pp. 111–128. ISBN 978-1585445905. 
14. ^ "About Brady Curtis Airfield". Sandhills Publishing Company. http://bradycurtisfield.com/about.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
15. ^ Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "Crockett State School". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jjc01. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
16. ^ Breeding, Seth D. "Brady Reservoir". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rob16. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
17. ^ "Geographic Center of Texas - Brady vicinity, McCulloch County, Texas". Texas State Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307002146. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
18. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
19. ^ "Crockett State School." Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on August 8, 2010.

External links

• McCulloch County from the Handbook of Texas Online

Coordinates: 31°12′N 99°21′W / 31.20°N 99.35°W / 31.20; -99.35