Henderson County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Henderson County, out here in East Texas, was carved from two of the oldest counties in the state, Houston and Nacogdoches, and the lawmakers didn't waste any time about it. Created on April 27, 1846, and organized by August 4th of that same year.

That's a county that came together fast, like it had somewhere to be. Now, a county that moves that quick deserves a name worth carrying, and Henderson County got one. It was named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, born in 1808, died in 1858, and in between those two years, he managed to become the very first governor of the State of Texas.

The first one. Not the second, not the most famous, the first. That's the kind of legacy that earns your name on a county.

And the county itself has been working things out ever since, including figuring out where to put its seat of government. Buffalo came first, then Centerville took a turn, and since 1850, Athens has been holding that chair. Three county seats, one county, and a name that goes all the way back to the man who first sat in the governor's office of this state.

Henderson County. It knew what it wanted to be.

What the marker says

Formed from Houston and Nacogdoches counties. Created April 27, 1846; organized August 4, 1846. Named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, 1808-1858, first governor of the State of Texas. Buffalo, Centerville and Athens (since 1850) have served as county seats.