Caldwell County is a county located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 45,883. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Lockhart Lockhart may refer to: *Lockhart (surname) Places Australia *Lockhart, New South Wales *Lockhart River, Queensland *Lockhart River, Western Australia United States *Lockhart, Alabama *Lockhart, Florida *Lockhart, Minnesota *Lockhart, Sout ...

. The county was founded in 1848 and named after

Mathew Caldwell Matthew Caldwell, (March 8, 1798 – December 28, 1842), also spelled Mathew Caldwell was a 19th-century Texas settler, military figure, Captain of the Gonzales – Seguin Rangers and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Because of ...

, a ranger captain who fought in the

Battle of Plum Creek The Battle of Plum Creek was a clash between allied Tonkawa, militia, and Rangers of the Republic of Texas and a huge Comanche war party under Chief Buffalo Hump, which took place near Lockhart, Texas, on August 12, 1840, following the Great ...

against the Comanches and against Santa Anna's armies during the Texas Revolution. Caldwell was also a signer of the

Texas Declaration of Independence The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was forma ...

. Caldwell County is part of the metropolitan area.

History

Around 8000 BC, Paleo-Indians

hunter-gatherers A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fungi, ...

inhabited the area, and later

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...

Karankawa The Karankawa were an Indigenous people concentrated in southern Texas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, largely in the lower Colorado River and Brazos River valleys."Karankawa." In ''Cassell's Peoples, Nations and Cultures,'' edited by John ...

and Comanche peoples became the first identified inhabitants. Caldwell County, of

Green DeWitt Green DeWitt (February 12, 1787 – May 18, 1835) was an empresario in Mexican Texas. He brought families from the United States to what is now South-central Texas and founded the DeWitt Colony. Missouri Green Dewitt was elected as the first Ral ...

's petition for a land grant to establish a colony in Texas, was approved by the Mexican government in 1825. In 1839, Edmund Bellinger became the first settler of Prairie Lea, the county's oldest town. Sam Houston named the town for his future wife

Margaret Lea Houston Margaret Lea Houston (April 11, 1819 – December 3, 1867) was First Lady of the Republic of Texas during her husband Sam Houston's second term as President of the Republic of Texas. They met following the first of his two non-consecutive term ...

. The legislature formed Caldwell County from Bastrop and Gonzales Counties in March 1845. Lockhart was named as the county seat. By 1860, the county population was 2,871, with 1,610 slaves. The community of Fentress was established, originally as Riverside, but later changed to honor the town's first physician, James Fentress. The next year, the county voted 434–188 in favor of

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

from the Union. Several hundred men from Caldwell County served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. In the 1870s, St. John Colony was established by former slaves. The town of Luling was established in 1874 . John and James Merriwether and Leonidas Hardeman built a gristmill and a sawmill, later known as Zedler's Mills. The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas completed its track between Lockhart and

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

in 1887. Two years later, the

San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway first began operation in the U.S. state of Texas in 1886. It was developed by Uriah Lott and businessmen of San Antonio as a direct route from the city to Aransas Bay on the Texas Gulf coast. It was eventual ...

connected Lockhart and Luling to Shiner. By 1892, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas had laid track from Lockhart east to Smithville. From 1880 to 1900,

tenant farming A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...

accounted for nearly half of all the county's farming and as much as 75% of the 3,149 farms. The Southwest Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention was established in 1902 in McMahan. On August 9, 1922, Edgar B. Davis discovered the Luling Oilfield. The Luling Foundation was established in 1927 by Davis to teach diversity in agriculture and improve the lives of farm and ranch families. The Lockhart State Park opened to the public in 1948. In 1953, Luling established its annual Watermelon Thump celebration.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which (0.3%) is covered by water.

Major highways

Interstate 10 * US 90

U.S. Highway 90 * US 183

U.S. Highway 183 * Texas 80

State Highway 80 * Toll Texas 130

State Highway 130 The following highways are numbered 130: Canada * New Brunswick Route 130 * Ontario Highway 130 * Prince Edward Island Route 130 Costa Rica * National Route 130 (Costa Rica), National Route 130 India * National Highway 130 (India) Japan * Japan ...

Adjacent counties

Travis County Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is n ...

(north) * Bastrop County (northeast) * Fayette County (southeast) *

Gonzales County Gonzales County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, adjacent to Greater Austin-San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,653. The county is named for its county seat, the city of Gonzales. The county was created in 1836 a ...

(south) * Guadalupe County (southwest) *

Hays County Hays County is located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. Hays County is part of the Austin- Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067. The county seat is San Marcos. H ...

(northwest)

Demographics

''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

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, 38,066 people were living in the county. 75.8% were

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 6.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.8% Native American, 13.1% of some other race, and 2.5% of two or more races; 47.1% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

(of any race). As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, 32,194 people, 10,816 households, and 8,079 families were living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). The 11,901 housing units had an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 70.13% White, 8.50% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 17.96% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. About 40.4% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 10,816 households, 37.0% had children under 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were not families. About 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.28. A

Williams Institute The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, usually shortened to Williams Institute, is a public policy research institute based at the UCLA School of Law focused on sexual orientation and gender ident ...

analysis of 2010 census data found about 5.8

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

per 1,000 households lived in the county. In the county, the age distribution was 28.3% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,573, and for a family was $41,300. Males had a median income of $29,295 versus $21,595 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,099. About 10.40% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 15.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

(county seat) * Luling (small part in Guadalupe County) * Martindale * Mustang Ridge (mostly in

and a small part in Bastrop County) * Niederwald (mostly in

) *

(mostly in Hays County and a small part in Guadalupe and Comal Counties) * Uhland (mostly in Hays County)

Unincorporated communities

* Brownsboro * Dale *

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

* Elm Grove * Fentress * Joliet * Lytton Springs * Maxwell *

McMahan McMahan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan McMahan, Christian theologian *Brian McMahan (born 1969), American guitarist *Chad McMahan (born 1972), American politician *Jack McMahan (1932–2020), American baseball player * ...

* McNeil * Mendoza * Pettytown (partly in Bastrop County) * Prairie Lea * Reedville * Saint John Colony * Seawillow * Soda Springs * Stairtown * Taylorsville *

Tilmon Tilmon is an unincorporated community in Caldwell County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 117 in 2000. It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area. History Tilmon ...

Ghost town

* Polonia

Politics

County government

Caldwell County elected officials

Education

School districts: *

Gonzales Independent School District Gonzales Independent School District is a public school district based in Gonzales, Texas ( USA). Located in Gonzales County, a small portion of the district extends into Caldwell County. The school district was recently engaged in a scandal o ...

Hays Consolidated Independent School District Hays Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Kyle, Texas ( USA). In addition to Kyle, the district serves the city of Buda, and other areas in northern Hays County. The Hays Consolidated Independent School ...

Lockhart Independent School District The Lockhart Independent School District is a public school district based in Lockhart, Texas. In addition to Lockhart, the district also serves the portions of Mustang Ridge, Niederwald, and Pettytown in Caldwell County, as well as the unincor ...

* Luling Independent School District * Prairie Lea Independent School District *

San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in San Marcos, Texas, USA. The school district covers 210 square miles mainly in Hays County and portions of Guadalupe and Caldwell counties. In addition to ...

* Waelder Independent School District

Austin Community College The Austin Community College District (ACC) is a public community college system serving the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas communities. The college maintains numerous campuses, centers, and distance learning opt ...

is the designated community college for the county.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

References

External links

County of Caldwell

Caldwell County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. {{Coord, 29.84, -97.61, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1848 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1848 Majority-minority counties in Texas