Burleson County

Burleson County lies in the rich Brazos River basin and had settlers as early as 1825. In 1830 it was the site of Tenoxtitlan, one of three forts built by Mexico in Texas, situated above the El Camino Real crossing on the Brazos River, with Sterling Robertson's Colony north of the road and Stephen F. Austin's colony south of it. In 1840, on the Old Road, civil engineer George B. Erath platted the town of Caldwell, naming it for Indian fighter Mathew ("Old Paint") Caldwell. In 1846, Erath introduced in the First Legislature of the State of Texas a bill creating Burleson County from land then in Milam and Washington counties. The county was named for Gen. Edward Burleson, under whom many local men had fought in the Texas War for Independence and in Indian Wars; he was also a congressman, senator, vice president of the Republic of Texas, and a member of the first State Senate. The plantation system prevailed until the Civil War. Burleson County lost some area when Lee County was created in 1874. In 1880 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built into the county, and soon afterward the Houston and Texas Central added more rail mileage. Its economy is based on farming, oil, and miscellaneous products.

Caldwell, Texas · United States