Lampasas County, Texas Explained

County:	Lampasas County
State:	Texas
Founded:	1856
Seat Wl:	Lampasas
Largest City Wl:	Lampasas
Area Total Sq Mi:	714
Area Land Sq Mi:	713
Area Water Sq Mi:	1.1
Area Percentage:	0.2
Census Yr:	2020
Pop:	21,627
Density Sq Mi:	auto
Ex Image:	Lampasas County Courthouse September 2020.jpg
Ex Image Size:	250
Ex Image Cap:	The Lampasas County Courthouse was completed in 1884. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1971.
Web:	www.co.lampasas.tx.us
Time Zone:	Central
District:	11th

Lampasas County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,627.^[1] Its county seat is Lampasas.^[2] The county is named for the Lampasas River.

Lampasas County is part of the Killeen - Temple metropolitan statistical area.

History

• Indigenous peoples were the first inhabitants of the area. Later known tribes in the area included Tonkawa, Lipan Apache and Comanche.^[3]
• 1721 The Aguayo expedition is said to have passed through the county.^[4]
• 1756 A presidio is established by Don Pedro de Terreros with the assistance of elements of the Spanish Army, at the confluence of Lucy Creek and Arroya Cavalto. The effort was abandoned not long after, but the site remained as a base of operations by Thomas Isaac Cox, a member of Terreros' original expedition, for the purpose of obtaining hundreds of Texas mustangs for use by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.^[5]
• 1853 Moses Hughes and his invalid wife, Hannah (Berry), became the first permanent settlers, seeking to take advantage of the medicinal springs.^[6]
• 1854 John Patterson was the first man to cultivate land in the county.^[7]
• 1855 Elizabeth and George W. Scott laid out the town of Burleson, named for her father. The town was later renamed Lampasas, when it becomes the county seat.^[3]
• 1856 The Sixth Texas Legislature formed Lampasas County, named after the Lampasas River, from parts of Travis, Bell, and Coryell Counties. Burleson, renamed Lampasas, is made the county seat.^[6]
• 1858 The northeastern corner of Lampasas County became part of Hamilton County.^[3]
• 1859 The Lampasas Guards were organized to ward off Indian attacks.^[8]
• 1860 Lampasas County's population was 1,028. About 15 percent were slaves.^[3]
• 1861 Indian raids increased in Lampasas, as able-bodied men were off fighting in the war.^[6]
• 1872 Townsen's Mill was built by Perry and Jasper Townsen. This steam mill cut "rawhide" lumber and ground wheat and corn.^[9]
• 1874 Henry A. Chadwick and son Milam built a sawmill, flour mill and cotton gin.^[10]
• 1875 The Farmers' Alliance was born in Lampasas in reaction against the cattle rustling and illegal land dealings prevalent in the county.^{[3] [11]}
• 1877 Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon^[12]
• 1882 The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway extended its line west from Belton to Lampasas.^[6]
• 1885 The Texas Bankers Association, the oldest and largest in the United States, had its beginnings in Lampasas.^[13]
• 1887 Mills County received northern and northwestern sections of Lampasas County.^[3]
• 1892, April 20 – First state meeting of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas was held in Lampasas.^[14]
• 1902 Pierian Club of Lampasas, a civic women's organization, was chartered.^[15]
• 1920s Texas Power and Light Company arrived in Lampasas County.^[3]
• 1934 The Lower Colorado River Authority brought electricity to the county.^[3]
• 1935 Rollins-Brook Hospital opened near Lampasas.^[3]
• 1942 Fort Hood opened as a military training base. Hancock Park in Lampasas was temporarily turned over to the troops as a recreational area.^[6]
• 1949 Lone Star Gas established services in the county.^[3]
• Lampasas Mother's Day Flood^[16]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 714sqmi, of which 1.1sqmi (0.2%) is covered by water.^[17]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 183
• U.S. Highway 190
• U.S. Highway 281

Adjacent counties

• Hamilton County (north)
• Coryell County (northeast)
• Bell County (southeast)
• Burnet County (south)
• San Saba County (west)
• Mills County (northwest)

Demographics

Lampasas County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010^[18] !Pop 2020^[19] !% 2010!% 2020

White alone (NH)	14,836	15,132	75.40%	69.97%
Black or African American alone (NH)	581	700	2.95%	3.24%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	127	115	0.65%	0.53%
Asian alone (NH)	184	242	0.94%	1.12%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	35	86	0.18%	0.40%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	31	100	0.16%	0.46%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	440	1,073	2.24%	4.96%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,443	4,179	17.50%	19.32%
Total	19,677	21,627	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census^[20] of 2000, 17,762 people, 6,554 households, and 4,876 families were residing in the county. The population density was 25/mi2. The 7,601 housing units averaged 11/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 86.75% White, 3.10% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 6.55% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. About 15.07% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 6,554 households, 35.10% had children under 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were not families. About 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, age distribution was 27.60% under 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,176, and for a family was $41,395. Males had a median income of $30,320 versus $20,637 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,184. About 10.70% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.70% of those under 18 and 14.80% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Copperas Cove (mostly in Coryell County and a small part in Bell County)
• Kempner
• Lampasas (county seat)
• Lometa

Unincorporated communities

• Adamsville
• Bend (partly in San Saba County)
• Izoro
• Moline (partly in Mills County)
• Nix
• Rumley

Ghost town

• Senterfitt

Politics

Lampasas County is a state bellwether for Texas in U.S. presidential elections, having voted for the statewide winner in every presidential election since the county's formation in 1856. It shares this status along with Aransas County, Brown County, Parker County, Shackelford County, and Young County.

See also

• List of museums in Central Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lampasas County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Lampasas County

External links

31.19°N -98.24°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lampasas County, Texas. United States Census Bureau. February 23, 2021.
2. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
3. Web site: Rhoades. Alice J. Lampasas County. Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. November 29, 2010.
4. Book: Greene, A C. Sketches from the Five States of Texas. 1998. TAMU Press. 978-0-89096-853-6. 18.
5. Web site: Log into Facebook. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/2360970920847139/2571266179817611 . February 26, 2022 . limited.
6. Book: Lampasas County Museum Foundation. Lampasas County, TX. 2009. Arcadia Publishing. 978-0-7385-5881-3. 7–8.
7. Web site: John Patterson. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162425/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281002797. July 18, 2011.
8. Book: Anderson, Daniel. Ten Deadly Texans . 2009. Pelican Publishing. 978-1-58980-599-6. Yadon, Lawrence . 105.
9. Web site: Towsen's Mill. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162438/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281005540. July 18, 2011.
10. Web site: Chadwick's Mill. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162456/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281000797. July 18, 2011.
11. Web site: Pleasant Valley Farmers' Alliance No. 1. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120314205038/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281004055. March 14, 2012.
12. Web site: Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162517/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281012015. July 18, 2011.
13. Web site: Texas Bankers Association. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162521/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281005248. July 18, 2011.
14. Web site: Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162527/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281001873. July 18, 2011.
15. Web site: Pierian Club of Lampasas. Texas Historical Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. November 29, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162537/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281012914. July 18, 2011.
16. Book: Burnett, Jonathan. Flash Floods in Texas . 2008. TAMU Press. 978-1-58544-590-5. 162–172.
17. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. May 3, 2015. August 22, 2012.
18. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Lampasas County, Texas. United States Census Bureau.
19. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Lampasas County, Texas. United States Census Bureau.
20. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. May 14, 2011.