Johnson County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Johnson County. Even the name on the map carries a story, and it belongs to one man: Middleton T.

Johnson, born in South Carolina in 1810. Now, this was not a man who sat still. Before Texas ever got ahold of him, he'd already served seven terms as an Alabama legislator.

Seven. By 1840 he'd made his way to Texas, and Texas, being Texas, put him right to work. He served in the 9th Texas Legislature.

He rode with the Texas Rangers. He fought in the Mexican War. And when the Civil War came calling, he answered that too.

Middleton T. Johnson died in 1866, and by then the county bearing his name had already been living and breathing for over a decade. It was created and organized in 1854, carved out of land that had previously belonged to Ellis, Hill, and Navarro counties.

Now, a county needs a seat, and Johnson County's first was a place called Wardville, held that honor from 1854 to 1856. Then came Buchanan, which took the title and kept it from 1856 to 1867. But here's where the story takes one more turn.

Out southeast of Buchanan, about three and a half miles, there were famous springs; and at those springs sat a place called Camp Henderson, which had served as a recruiting place in the county during the Civil War. In 1867, that old camp was made the new county seat. And when they renamed it, they chose to honor a Confederate General by the name of Patrick Cleburne.

That town still carries his name today. Three county seats, nine wars and legislatures and ranger campaigns attached to one man's name, and a set of famous springs that quietly outlasted all of it. That's Johnson County.

What the marker says

Named for Middleton T. Johnson (1810-1866), native of South Carolina, for 7 terms an Alabama legislator, a leading Texan after 1840. Served in 9th Texas Legislature; in Texas Rangers, Mexican War, Civil War. County created and organized 1854, from land earlier in counties of Ellis, Hill and Navarro. First county seat, Wardville, 1854-1856. Second was Buchanan, 1856-1867. Camp Henderson, at famous springs 3.5 miles southeast of Buchanan, a recruiting place in county during Civil War, in 1867 was made county seat and renamed in honor of a Confederate General Patrick Cleburne.