Sabinal was named from the Spanish Rio Sabina and the cypress trees along the river. The town was founded in 1854 by Thomas B. Hammer, who operated a stage shop and served as the first postmaster. Despite Indian depredations, the town thrived as settlers built homes, and a railroad reached it in 1881. In 1906, the town was incorporated, telephone service began, and city water works and a volunteer fire department were organized. In 1907, Sabinal Christian College was founded, though it closed in 1917. Cotton was the foremost industry in the early 1900s, and today farming and ranching flourish in the community.