History
In the years prior to Texas independence, the area was governed by the Municipality of Washington, which became Washington County during the Texas Revolution. In 1837 the First Congress of the Republic of Texas included the area of present Walker County in Montgomery County when that county was carved from Washington County. Steamboat navigation of the Trinity River spurred the earliest burst of commerce in the county. In 1838 James DeWitt established the port town of Cincinnati, which soon became the leading regional commercial center, partly because it was on the stage road connecting Washington-on-the-Brazos and Nacogdoches. Cotton and other agricultural products were taken down this highway to Cincinnati, then transported down the Trinity River to the Port of Galveston. In April 1846 the First Legislature of the new state of Texas established Walker County and designated Huntsville the seat of government. The county's first officials included Milton Estill as chief justice, Isaac McGary as county clerk, and William Reeves as sheriff. James Mitchell, Benjamin W. Robinson, Elijah S. Collard, and D. J. Tucker, the county commissioners, held their first session on July 27, 1846, in Huntsville. A site for the courthouse was donated by Pleasant Gray and his wife, and Henry Sheets and his spouse provided the property for the jail. The new jail was completed in 1847, and the first courthouse a year later. By 1847 there were 2,695 people living in the area. In 1848 the county became the designated site for what became the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, which began operating in 1849. By 1850 the population of Walker County had increased to 3,964, including 1,301 slaves. No free blacks lived in the area. Farms in the county encompassed 146,000 acres that year; of these, 12,000 were classified as "improved," and local farmers produced 102,000 bushels of corn and 1,873 bales of cotton. Oats, beans, and sweet potatoes were also grown. Livestock was an important part of the economy at that time; almost 4,300 milk cows and more than 18,000 other cattle were reported that year.Read more at the Handbook of Texas Online
Historical Markers
Post Offices
Postmasters & Offices
Walker County Texas, A History, John Baldwin
Adjutant General's Report 1878
Adjutant General's Report 1891