March 13 marks 150 years since Tom Green County was founded

Ashtin Wade
·3 min read
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SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Tom Green County has a rich and extensive history making it the county we know and love, and today, it is a century and a half in the making.

Here is a look at the history of Tom Green County, according to the Texas State Historical Association:

1874:

  • Tom Green County was established on March 13, 1874. It was named after Confederate Brig. Gen. Thomas Green and spanned more than 60,000 square miles, claiming the land of 66 modern counties.

1875:

  • Voters and elected officials decided Ben Ficklin would become the county seat of Tom Green County despite San Angelo being the larger town.

1876:

  • Northern boundary drawn, cutting off 55 modern counties. Tom Green County included Midland, Reagan, Sterling, Crane, Coke, Irion, Loving, Upton, Ward, Ector and Glasscock counties, which was larger than the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined.

  • The first subscription school was established

Ghost towns of the Concho Valley: Tom Green County

1880:

  • The first county newspaper, Concho Times, came out with its first publication in April 1800.

1881:

  • L.B. Harris fenced off 20,000 acres and was soon followed by John R. Nasworthy and Charles B. Metcalfe causing a change in Tom Green County’s open range for cattlemen and sheepmen.

1882:

  • A flood destroyed the town of Ben Ficklin, killing 65 people. San Angelo was soon established as the county seat.

  • The First Christian Church began services in May 1882 and built its first sanctuary in 1885.

1883:

  • The Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1883.

1884:

  • Construction of the courthouse began in San Angelo.

  • San Angelo Standard made its debut after being established by W.A. Guthrie and J.G. Murphy on May 3, 1884.

  • The first public school was officially established after moving four times.

  • The first Catholic church was built by Father Mathurin J. Pairier.

  • Fence-cutting became a felony charge, causing sheepmen and cattle drives to become fenced ranches. This change improved cattle breeds such as the Durham and Hereford cattle.

1888:

  • The Santa Fe Railroad was completed in Sept. 1888, making San Angelo the largest range cattle-shipping station in the United States.

  • The first wool warehouse was built by Merra and Hobbs.

1889:

  • Fort Concho closes.

1890:

  • The first electric light plant was built.

1895:

  • The first sewer system was completed.

1903:

  • San Angelo Independent School District was formed.

Local feed mill collects donations for panhandle wildfire relief

1928:

  • The regional airport opened in 1928.

  • Angelo State University was established as San Angelo College.

  • The Tom Green County Courthouse on Beauregard in downtown San Angelo was constructed in 1928.

1929:

  • San Angelo became the largest primary wool market in the United States with wool and mohair shipments increasing to 17 million pounds per year.

  • Construction on Lake Nasworthy began.

  • The Angelo Community Hospital was organized in 1929.

1930:

  • The West Texas Utility Company completed the construction of Lake Nasworthy, which was named after John R. Nasworthy.

1932:

  • Margaret Shannon founded Shannon Medical Center, making it the largest acute-care facility in the region.

1940:

  • The Goodfellow Field opened for advanced Air Force pilot training.

1963:

  • The construction of Twin Buttes Reservoir was completed in February.

1988:

  • River Crest Hospital opened with psychiatric and chemical dependency care.

1990:

  • By 1990 there were six school districts in San Angelo.

Today, Tom Green County covers 1,522 square miles of land with a total population of 119,200. San Angelo remains the county seat with the historic Tom Green County Courthouse in the heart of downtown. Fort Concho remains a National Historic Landmark hosting several events to pay homage to the Concho Valley’s history. Goodfellow Airforce Base continues to grow within Tom Green County training multiple branches of the military.

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