Floyd County, Texas

Floyd County is located on U.S. Highway 70 northeast of Lubbock in the High Plains region of the Panhandle. The county is bordered on the north by Swisher and Briscoe counties, on the east by Motley County, on the south by Crosby County, and on the west by Hale County.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Aiken | Barwise | Cedar Hill | Delta Plain | Dougherty | Floydada (Floyd City) – county seat | Harmony | Lakeview | Lockney | Lone Star | Mayshaw | McCoy | Mickey | Muncy | Sandhill | South Plains | Sterley

Courthouses

Floyd County’s first courthouse, built in 1892, was a 48’x48′ frame structure, designed by architect J. N. Smith. It served the county until 1911, when a brick Classic Revival style courthouse with a bell tower and clock was opened. This building was torn down in 1950, after the opening of the current Modern-style courthouse.

History

Floyd County was created 21 Aug 1876 from Bexar Land District. Floyd county was attached to Donley County for administrative purposes until 1890, when Floyd County was organized. Floyd City was named as the county seat in 1890. The town’s name changed to Floydada in 1892.

Organization of Floyd County. Floyd County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1876. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company began building westward from Wichita Falls, resulting in increased settlement of the area. Ranchers T. J. Braidfoot and J. R. McLain formed a partnership in 1887 to establish a town they hoped to promote as county seat. Named Della Plain, it soon boasted homes, businesses, and civic institutions. As more homesteaders settled northwest of Della Plain, a town named Lockney was created in 1889. Soon there was rivalry over which town would be named county seat. In 1890 M. C. Williams and J. K. Gwynn selected this site for a town called Floyd City. In an election held on May 28, 1890, the voters chose Floyd City as county seat. Officers elected were: Arthur B. Duncan, County Judge; John C. Hendrix, County Attorney; R. T. Miller, County and District Clerk; D. W. Jenkins, Sheriff and Tax Collector; E. E. Keeley, County Treasurer; L. C. Darby, Tax Assessor; W. M. Massie, Surveyor; and C. F. Ramsey, T. B. Michael, W. R. Vandeveer, and B. P. Merrell, County Commissioners. When a post office was established in September, the name of the town was changed to Floydada. Historical Marker text, 1990. Marker located on the Courthouse lawn.

Floyd County History 1922. Located in the heart of the Staked Plains region of Texas, Floyd County had an unusual development in advance of railroad facilities. In 1909 the Pecos & Northern Texas was constructed east from Plainview to Floydada, the county seat of Floyd County. The development of the county up to 1910 is indicated by the following statistics taken from the report of the last census [1920]. At that time there were 620 farms in the county, as compared with 286 in 1900. Continue Reading Floyd County History Written in 1922 >>

Early History of Floyd County, 1947, by Claude V. Hall.

History of Floyd County, 1876–1979, published in 1979, by Floyd County Historical Museum.

Location

Floydada, TX 33° 59′ 4.2828″ N, 101° 20′ 15.5652″ W

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