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Local Information
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The first land surveys in
Nolan County were made along Sweetwater creek in 1853,
and did not cross the creek now known as Sweetwater
creek. It was then known as Elm fork of the Clear Fork
of the Brazos river.
Between 1871 and 1875 the
United States was especially active on the frontiers of
northwest Texas, and in 1875 engineers made a map of the
region on which the streams were located and named on
the trails made by the various army commanders in their
warfare with the Indians. That map clearly lists
Sweetwater creek as we know it, but under the name of
South Elbow creek. During this time the Texas Rangers
were on the frontier of this region stationed in the
south of Nolan County.
About 1874, Indians made a
raid down into Coleman and other counties. A posse of
Rangers got on their trail and followed them through
Nolan County and up on the plains. As the Rangers
passed, the streams being unnamed, they proceeded to
name them Bittercreek, Sweetwater creek and gave names
to the other streams.
When Nolan County got enough
people to justify a post office, it was naturally
located on Sweetwater Creek, located up in the Panhandle
which in the buffalo hunting days became the site for
the location of another Sweetwater which was named
county seat of Wheeler county before a post office was
established. When the town applied for a post office and
it was discovered there was already another Sweetwater,
the name of the place was changed to Mobeetie (said to
be the Kiowa name for Sweetwater).
There is also a third
Sweetwater in Texas, known as Auga Dulce and located in
Nueces County, which is the Spanish version of
Sweetwater.
Sweet Water (the name was in
two words until 1918) was originally established on the
banks of Sweetwater Creek in a dugout, for the benefit
of the few ranchmen and the buffalo hunters then in the
country.
On
April 12, 1881, when the town of Sweetwater was declared
the permanent county seat of Nolan County, there was not
a building on the site constructed of wood, brick or
stone, and N. I. Dulaney had opened a store in a tent
along with several other 'tent stores'.
The railway donated to Nolan
County two blocks for a courthouse and jail on August
22, 1881.
Sweetwater's first water
supply system consisted of a small muddy pond out near
the stock pens and a drilled water well and windmill at
the north west corner of the public square with a
capacity (when the wind blew) of about 100 barrels of
gyp water per day.
Joseph Boone was the first
mayor in 1884. T. D. Farris was elected first city
secretary and W. A. Corbett, first marshal.
C. E. Gilbert of Abilene
established the Abilene Reporter in 1881, about the same
time put in the first paper in Sweetwater and called it
the Sweetwater Advance. In less than a year, R.A.
Musgrove purchased the paper and changed the name to the
Nolan County Review. Both were weekly newspapers.
Musgrove sold the paper to
Professor Grogan. On May 1, 1909, John W. Millsapps
bought the paper for $900. In 1907, W. A. Perry bought a
half interest in the paper and joined the staff as
editor.
During 1919 State Senator
Terrell purchased the Reporter, adding it to a chain of
weeklies and daily papers over the state. Houston Harte
of San Angelo was the next owner of the Reporter, 1924,
selling to George and Russell Bennitt in 1937. After a
few years they sold to McBeth Publishing Co., who
published the Reporter until March, 1973, selling to
Donrey Media Group.
George and Russell Bennitt also
built Sweetwater's first radio station, KXOX.
POSTMASTERS & POST OFFICES OF
NOLAN COUNTY, TEXAS
1879 - 1930
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COURTHOUSE
INFORMATION - County Offices, District Court, County
Information, Public
Notices, News
COUNTY-CITY
LIBRARY: PO Box 780, Sweetwater, TX 79556
FUNERAL
HOMES:
Cates-Spencer & Trent Funeral Home, 403 Locust,
Sweetwater, TX; 325--236-6717
McCoy Funeral Home, Inc, 401 E. 3rd, Sweetwater, TX;
325-236-6677
GENEALOGY SOCIETY - Nolan County Genealogical
Association
c/o County-City Library
PO Box 780
Sweetwater, TX 79556
HISTORICAL
PLACES:
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First National Bank Building
Also known as Butler Abstract Company Building
101 E. 3rd St., Sweetwater
Newman, I.M. and Margaret, House
309 Ragland St., Sweetwater
Ragland, R. A., Building
113 -117 3rd St., Sweetwater
Sweetwater Commercial Historic
District
Roughly between 1st and 5th, and Ash and Texas and
Pacific RR tracks, Sweetwater |
MAPS - MapQuest - print your own maps.
1895
MAP
TIGER MAP Server Browser
MUSEUM -
Pioneer Museum, on the
corner of Ragland and East Third Streets,
Sweetwater,
TX.; 325-235-8547
NEWSPAPER
- Sweetwater
Reporter, 112 W 3rd, Sweetwater, TX; 325-236-6677
NOLAN COUNTY
COLISEUM: 1699 Cypress St Sweetwater, TX 79556 -
325-235-9259
PLACES TO
STAY -
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Comfort Inn
325-235-5234
216 SE Georgia Ave
Holiday Inn
500 NW Georgia Ave
Longhorn Motor Lodge
325- 235-1547
2201 E Broadway St
Motel 6
325- 235-4387
510 NW Georgia Ave |
Mulberry Mansion B &
B
325- 235-3811
1400 Sam Houston St
Palomino Motel
325- 235-9085
1500 E Broadway St
Ramada Inn
325- 235-4853
701 SW Georgia Ave
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Ranch House Motel &
Restaurant
325- 236-6341
301 SW Georgia Ave
Sweetwater Inn
325- 236-6887
500 NW Georgia Ave
Travelers Motel
325- 235-2850
1413 E Broadway St
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ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
County Population: 15,802
County Houses: 7,112
Land area: 912.0 sq. mi.
Water area: 1.9 sq. mi.
Type of workers:
- Private wage or
salary: 68%
- Government: 19%
- Self-employed, not
incorporated: 11%
- Unpaid family work:
1%
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Races in Nolan County:
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White Non-Hispanic
(66.3%)
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Hispanic (28.0%)
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Other race (14.0%)
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Black (4.7%)
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Two or more races
(2.1%)
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American Indian
(0.8%)
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Median age: 37.4 years
Males: 48.6%, Females:
51.4%
Average household size
in Nolan County: 2.48
Median household income:
$26,209 (year 2000)
Median house value:
$35,300 (year 2000)
Median montly rent in
2000: $340
Institutionalized
population: 338
Median monthly costs for
houses with a mortgage
in Nolan County in 2000:
$648
Cities/towns in this county
include:
Blackwell,
Champion, Decker, Hylton, Maryneal, Nolan,
Roscoe,
Sweetwater,
Wastella.
Notable locations in
this county outside city
limits:
Notable locations in
Nolan County: Adrian
Ranch, Double Heart
Ranch, Sixty-nine
Ranch, High Lonesome
Windmill, Tecific,
White Hall Ranch,
Memphis Public
Library.
Cemeteries:
Blackwell Cemetery,
Champion Cemetery,
Coffee Cemetery,
Decker Cemetery,
Garden Of memories
Cemetery, Nolan
Cemetery, Slater
Chapel Cemetery,
Sweetwater Cemetery.
Reservoirs: Willow
Tank, Soil
Conservation Service
Site 4a Reservoir,
Soil Conservation
Service Site 1
Reservoir, Soil
Conservation Service
Site 2a Reservoir,
Silver Lake, Country
Club Lake, H and H
Conditioning Tank, H
and H Feedlot Tank.
Streams, rivers, and
creeks: Holder
Creek, Rock Creek,
Seale Creek, Bear
Creek, Prong Creek,
Barnett Creek, Pecan
Creek, Wilson Creek,
Idlewild Creek.
Parks in Nolan
County include: Lake
Sweetwater Municipal
Park, Sweetwater
Park.
Current college
students: 559
People 25 years of age
or older with a high
school degree or higher:
69.9%
People 25 years of age
or older with a
bachelor's degree or
higher: 13.2%
Number of foreign born
residents: 669 (57%
naturalized citizens)
Mean travel time to
work: 16.4 minutes
Housing units in
structures:
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One, detached: 5,540
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One, attached: 174
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Two: 196
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3 or 4: 191
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5 to 9: 95
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10 to 19: 187
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20 or more: 274
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Mobile homes: 446
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Boats, RVs, vans,
etc.: 9
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