Hill County, Texas

Hill County is in north central Texas. The county is bordered by Johnson county to the north, Ellis, Navarro and Limestone counties to the east, McLennan county to the south and Bosque county to the west. Hillsboro, the county seat and largest city within the county, is at the junction of Interstate Highway 35 East and West, about fifty-five miles south of Fort Worth and thirty-five miles north of Waco.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Abbott | Aquilla | Birome | Blum | Brandon | Bynum | Carl’s Corner | Covington | Files (Files Valley, Eureka Valley) | Hillsboro – county seat | Hubbard | Irene | Itasca | Malone | Mertens | Mount Calm | Penelope | Peoria | Prairie Valley | Towash | Whitney

Courthouses

‍Hill County has had one county seat, although the town’s name has been spelled two ways.  When Hill County came into existence, Hillsborough was chosen as the county seat.  In 1854, the town’s name became spelled as Hillsboro, due to changes in post office rules.

The first Hill County Courthouse, built in 1853, was twelve feet square and consisted of elm poles around a dirt floor.  A second courthouse was built in 1854.  About 1870, a two-story brick courthouse was built.  It burned on 18 Sept 1872, along with many of the county’s records.  A fourth courthouse was built in 1874. The current courthouse, a three story limestone building with a seven-story clock tower, was built in 1890.  The courthouse was gutted by fire on 1 Jan 1993.  The destruction was nearly complete, leaving only four limestone walls.  The rebuilt and restored courthouse reopened in the Spring of 1999.  

History

A memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill counties, Texas : containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas together with glimpses of its future prospects…

The Early Settlers Life in Texas, 1963, describes the early history of Hill County, located in Texas, including the author’s trip to Texas, information about the first settlers, prominent men, Native American massacres, government, and the general organization of the county.

Location

Hillsboro, TX 32° 0′ 39.5604″ N, 97° 7′ 48.0216″ W

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest