Thriving in Throckmorton County

Farm tractor

Just west of Young County is Throckmorton; the entire county has just over 1,500 souls and that number is dropping. Much of its landscape and history are extremely similar to that of Young County. It’s one of only six entirely ‘dry’ counties in Texas. And for you who don’t know what being ‘dry’ means, the definition varies. In some places you can get alcohol by the glass in a ‘club’ but not by the bottle anywhere. However, in this county you can’t buy alcohol at all in any situation.



The area that was to become Throckmorton County was explored by Pedro Vial as he searched for a route between San Antonio and Santa Fe. Altercations with the Plains Tribes and the slow establishment of

Giant bull sculpture

Army Posts prevented the colonization of the county for many years. The population of the county increased with the coming of the Civil War, but this was to be short lived. As soon as Camp Cooper was abandoned, most of the settlers retreated to property closer to the Army Forts for protection from the Northern Comanche Indians. Throckmorton County was originally a part of Fannin County, and was officially created in 1858 with Williamsburg as its county seat. The county was named for Dr. William E. Throckmorton, an early pioneer from Collin County in North Texas. He was the father of James W. Throckmorton, a later governor of Texas. In the same year, the ButterfieldOverland Mail stage line established two relay stations in the county, increasing the likelihood of people moving to the ‘more civilized’ area. After the construction of Fort Griffin, most of the previous settlers returned to the county and many new ones arrived. There was plenty of land and wildlife to support these folks. Part of the wildlife included large herds of buffalo; these herds attracted buffalo hunters who nearly devastated the animals. Cattlemen were the first settlers and the open range supported huge herds; these cattle were moved to market along the Great Western Cattle Trail. Farmers also arrived, setting up homesteads on small tracts of land.  Once the population reached a stable point, in 1879, the county was organized with Throckmorton becoming the county seat.

In 1890 the county built an Italianate-style courthouse, although the town

Throckmorton County courthouse

only had 124 residents at the time. The courthouse is a two-story building with walls of light brown and grey sandstone, designed by architects Martin, Byrnes, and Johnston. The jail was built in 1893 by Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing of St. Louis. The jail is now the Throckmorton County Historical Museum; however, it still has the original iron cells with prisoner graffiti. The Throckmorton County Courthouse and Jail were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and this is also an Antiquities Landmark and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Also of note, Bob Lilly, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys (1961 – 1974), was raised in Throckmorton, attending schools there until 1956.

County jail

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