Rains County

Rains County is in northeast Texas on the upper reaches of the Sabine River. It is bordered by Hunt, Hopkins, Wood, and Van Zandt counties. The county seat and largest town, Emory, is centrally located in the county at 32°50' north latitude and 95°50' west longitude and is sixty-four miles east of Dallas. The altitude of Rains County varies from 406 to 491 feet above sea level. The average maximum temperature is 95° F in July, and the average minimum is 31° in January. The county receives an average of 42.2 inches of rain per year and has a growing season of 242 days. With a total area of only 258.8 square miles, Rains County is one of the smallest counties in the state, and more than 10 percent of it has been under water since the construction of Lake Tawakoni and Lake Fork Reservoir. The soils are primarily a mixture of sand and clay. The Sabine River forms the southern border of the county, but most of the creeks drain northeast into the Lake Fork of the Sabine. Other watercourses in Rains County are Elm, Cedar, Garrett, Woodbury, Brushy, Sandy, Turkey, Bull, and Bear creeks. There are also numerous springs. The largest group, Springville Springs, are the source of a stream that flows through the city park in Emory. The rate of flow from these and other springs has slackened in recent years because the water table has been lowered by well pumping.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.