Kimble County

Kimble County is located in southwest central Texas on the Edwards Plateau, surrounded on the north by Menard County, on the east by Mason County and Gillespie County, on the south by Kerr County and Edwards County, and on the west by Sutton County.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Bear Creek Settlement | Bradbury Settlement | Cleo | Ivy Community | Johnson Fork Colony | Junction (Junction City, Denman) – county seat | Kimbleville | London | Noxville | Roosevelt | Segovia | Teacup | Telegraph | Yates

History

On January 22, 1858, Kimble County was formed by the Texas legislature from lands formerly assigned to Bexar County and was attached to Gillespie County for judicial purposes. Following the Civil War settlements sprang up at the Johnson Fork of the Llano River, on Copperas Creek, and in the valleys of the James River. The first store in Kimble County was built in 1873 at the Johnson Fork. It was supplied by goods freighted in ox wagons from Kerrville. On September 6, 1875, Kimble County was separated from Gillespie County and attached to Menard County for judicial purposes. On January 3 of the following year Kimble County was organized, and in February William Potter was elected the first county judge. Ezekiel Keyser Kountz was elected the first county and district clerk. In the spring of 1876 the towns of Kimbleville and Junction were founded, and Kimbleville was elected the first county seat. Following the first district court session, Junction became the county seat. Kimbleville, located a few miles northwest of Junction in a flood-prone area, soon disappeared. The first post office in the county opened in Junction in 1877 and was run by Harriet Kountz at her home until 1879, when her husband Ezekiel built a separate structure in the town square. In 1878 a two-story wooden courthouse was built. It burned in April 1884 and was replaced by a stone structure which lasted until 1929.

THE TERRITORY embraced in Kimble County, was formerly a part of Bexar County. Several volumes of the county records were transcribed from the Bexar County Records, and in these early volumes of county records will be found some interesting bits of information in regard to the early land grants and pioneer families of this county. After a new county was created out of that part of Bexar County which lay West of Gillespie County, it was named for George Kimble, one of the heroes of the Alamo. The new county was then attached to Gillespie County for judicial purposes. This was a common fate of many newly created counties. As soon as a new county had enough population to carry on a county government it was separated, however, from the parent county and allowed to begin its own government. This occurred in Kimble County in 1876. It was organized in that year and set up its county government. Sutton County was then attached to Kimble County for judicial purposes and continued to be so attached until it had enough people to set up its government in 1889. The first county officers elected in Kimble County were Wm. Potter, County Judge, Dr. E. K. Kountz, County Clerk, Frank Latta, Sheriff, N. Q. Patterson, Treasurer, W. F. Gilleland, Assessor, and M . J. Denman, Surveyor. 

Location

Junction, TX 30° 29′ 21.6816″ N, 99° 46′ 19.2396″ W

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