Falls County, Texas

Falls County is located in Central Texas and is surrounded by Limestone, Robertson, Milam, Bell, and McLennan counties. Marlin, the largest town and county seat, is 24 miles south of Waco and 121 miles south of Dallas.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Barclay | Blue Ridge | Bruceville-Eddy (mostly in McLennan County) | Cedar Springs | Cego | Chilton | Durango | Golinda | Highbank | Lott | Marlin – county seat | McClanahan | Mooreville | Otto | Perry | Pleasant Grove | Reagan | Rosebud | Sarahville de Viesca | Satin | Stranger | Tomlinson Hill | Travis | Westphalia | Wilderville | Zipperlandville

History

On January 28, 1850, the state legislature formed Falls County from Limestone and Milam counties. The falls of the Brazos gave the county its name. Since Falls County was established its boundaries have not changed. The legislature stipulated that Viesca would be the county seat, but the citizens petitioned for another location because most of the residents lived east of the Brazos River. The citizens voted 20-0 in favor of Adams, which officially became the county seat on January 30, 1851. Soon after, the town was renamed Marlin in honor of the Marlin family. The settlers of Falls County came from the slaveholding South, primarily Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. By the census of 1860 the county had 1,716 slaves (47 percent of the total population) and 504 farms. Falls County relied less on cotton than other Texas counties, harvesting only 2,030 bales in 1860, and relied instead on a diverse agricultural economy. Wool was a major crop, with 17,500 pounds produced in 1860, the highest in Falls County history. Cattle was the most important livestock, with 26,310, a total not matched until 1900.

County History

History of Falls County, Texas, 1947, by Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County.

Families of Falls County, 1987, by Falls County Historical Commission.

Western Falls County, Texas, 1951, by Lillian S. St. Romain.

Location

Marlin, TX 31° 18′ 22.6332″ N, 96° 53′ 52.9584″ W

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest