Stephens County

Stephens County is in north central Texas, bounded on the east by Palo Pinto County, on the south by Eastland County, on the west by Shackelford County, and on the north by Young and Throckmorton counties. The center of the county lies at 32°45' north latitude and 98°50' west longitude, sixty-five miles northeast of Abilene. Originally named Buchanan County after President James Buchanan, the county was renamed in 1861 to honor Alexander H. Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America. The county extends across almost 922 square miles of broken, hilly plateau country with loamy topsoils covering deep reddish, clayey, or mottled subsoils. The area is drained by the Clear Fork of the Brazos River and by other tributaries of the Brazos. Elevations range between 1,000 to 1,600 feet above sea level; outstanding physical features include summits known as Gunsight Mountain, Double Mountain, and Evans Peak. Trees include mesquite, hackberry, elm, and pecan, while broomweed, wild rye, and milkweed are some of the grasses that grow in the area. The annual average rainfall is 26.4 inches. Temperatures range from an average low of 31° F in January to an average high of 98° in July; the growing season lasts 222 days. In the 1980s the agricultural sector of the economy earned an annual average income of $12.5 million, 90 percent of which derived from livestock, including beef cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep. Crops grown in the area included wheat, oats, hay, peanuts, and sorghum. The manufacture of mobile homes, furniture, aircraft parts, petrochemicals, and oilfield equipment earned $9.7 million in 1982; almost five million barrels of oil, valued at $169,688,194, were also produced in the county that year. Major roads include U.S. Highway 180 (west to east), U.S. Highway 183 (north to south), and State Highway 67, which runs from Breckenridge to the northeast.

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.